Henri TARDIEU

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Irrigation and Water Management in South Western
France
The case CACG Concession dEtat
Henri TARDIEU Directeur Général CACG
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Irrigated Areas in France - 2000
CACG in FRANCE
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Irrigation Management ModelsThree main models

• Water User Associations
• Sharing of annual expenses, with sometimes
  current subsidies
  
• The SARs (CACG, BRL, SCP)
• Full Cost Pricing from the dam to the plot,
  initial investment partially subsidised
  
• Individual irrigators
• The farmer covers its own costs, not the cost of
  common resource

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1 CACG, irrigation service a brief history
of institutional arrangements for managing
irrigation services
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CACG as a State concessionnaire Contracts State
- CACG - Irrigators
Since 1960
Irrigators
Water service contract
CACG
-Agricultural policy -Water policy
Assets owner for 75 years
State
Concession Contract
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CACG as a State concessionnaireCost recovery
1972, a major change in CACG policy !

• The government wants to cut all operation
  subsidies within ten years and to reduce CACGs
  risks
  
• CACG changes its management policy
• creates a Users Committee (Commission Permanente
  des Irrigants)
  
• cuts the operational costs
• increases the irrigation water price
• CACG switches to demand-driven investment policy
  
  
• small/medium scale through WUA
• large investment State concession

Policy Change
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CACG as a State concessionnaire Enhance
farmers participation !
After 1972
?
Agreement before any irrigation project study

Water service contract
Irrigators
?
User Committee (CPI)
CACG
-Agriculture policy -Water policy
Asset owner (75 years)
State
Concession Contract
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CACG as a service provider WUAs How to ensure
long term maintenance?
Irrigators
?
Agreement before any irrigation project study
Cost sharing
CACG
Service provision
WUA (ASA)
?
Assistance to WUA set up Design-Build-Transfer
contract
Maintenance contract with WUA
?
?
Asset owner
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2 CACG, the resource service institutiona
l arrangements for managing water resource
integrated service
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CACG as a water resource manager resource and
demand management Contracts CACG -Users
-Authority
Irrigators, Associations and other users
Contrat dEau
Stakeholders Committee (Commission Neste)
CACG
Owner (75 y.)
State or local authority
Contrat de délégation du service public
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CACG The Neste System, How to manage a common
resource for agriculture, drinking water and
environment?

• Water users
• fish wildlife and tourism need 250 Mm3 to
  strengthen low flows
  
• 200 000 inhabitants consume 13 Mm3
• 51 000 irrigated hectares, 3 000 irrigators
  consume 95 Mm3
  
• a 10 000 hectares waiting list without irrigation
  contract
  
• Water resources (a State concession to CACG)
• the Neste Canal which diverts 250 Mm3 of the
  river Neste
  
• the stored resources 100 Mm3

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3 CACG, pricing and quota the management
and econmic tools for resource/demand management
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Management and Economic Tools The objectives

• Strategic Objectives
• Balance the accounts of the I/D service provider
  
  
• Guarantee sound investments for I/D development
• Tactical Objectives
• Solve or avoid conflicts in water uses
• Water allocation and quota
• Incentive to water savings

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Management and Economic Tools To control Water
Use with Pricing?

• Water Quota
• Equity between farmers, security for rivers
• How to stop irrigation when the quota is used?
• Pricing
• Economic efficiency
• The deterring price -the marginal value- is too
  high!
  

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CACG Water regulation with pricing
How to combine Quota and pricing?

• CACG set up a simple pricing in the Neste System
  
  
• -the quota priced at 50/ha ( lump sum equivalent
  1.5 c/m3)
  
• -the price for the m3 beyond the quota at
  10c/m3
  

• Results shown through two performance
  indicators
  
• River flow (number of days below the minimum)
  failures reduced from 10-20 days to less than 1
  day.
  
• Irrigators waiting list (number of irrigators
  unable to pump) steadily reduced and equitably
  managed between farmers

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4 Conclusions Lessons learnt for Internati
onal

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Lessons learnt for International

• Enhance Farmers participation
• does not mean WUAs everywhere
• ID service management needs professional third
  party as external support or as service provider
  (technology, accountability)
  
• New missions of the State include economics to
  balance farmers income, sustainability cost
  recovery, long term maintenance

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Merci à tous Have a good field visit on
Wednesday!
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Irrigation Management ModelsThree main modes of
management

• Water User Associations
• The SARs (CACG, BRL, SCP)
• Individual irrigators

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Irrigation Management Models The Sociétés
dAménagement Régional

• The SARs (Sociétés dAménagement Régional)
• BRL, CACG, SCP irrigation and resource managers
  under Concession contracts with State and Public
  Bodies 190000 ha
  
• A success story
• Equity and fair water allocation
• Quality of service (Clients oriented)
• Full cost recovery including long term
  maintenance and renewal
  
• Sustainability through pricing including economic
  incentives
  
• Transparency and stakeholders participation in
  decision making

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Irrigation Management Models Water User
Associations ASA

• ASA successful for a long time (1865)
• To-day 1860 ASA pour 578 000 ha
• Average 75farmers (land owners) et 270 ha
• Advantages, a public body controlled by State,
  with three principles
  
• Obligation to balance the budget full cost
  recovery
  
• A public accounting officer separated of the ASA
  manager
  
• A priori control by local State officer
• But two main weaknesses
• Annual strategy long term maintenance costs not
  recovered
  
• Lack of flexibility landowners association,
  public body

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Irrigation Management Models The individual
irrigators

• The largest irrigation development through
  individual initiatives (farm reservoirs,
  groundwater or river withdrawals)
  
• The common resource is not often collectively
  managed
  
• Conflicts with other users
• No metering and resource monitoring
• Resource opportunity costs are not recovered
• A necessity, the Resource service provider
• developing the awareness of collective management
  
  
• implementing resource and demand management
• negotiating contracts with users including water
  pricing and/or quota systems