A mixed assessment for the first season of the Grand Site Salagou-Mourèze

Le sous-préfet Eric Suzanne et la présidente du syndicat Marie Passieux ont présidé les échanges. Cyprien Delobette

A meeting was organized this Monday afternoon in Mourèze with different partners.

With the Grand Site de France label awarded at the end of spring, 2024 will obviously be a milestone year for Lake Salagou and the Cirque de Mourèze. However, the summer season did not go quite as planned, with major disruptions in August linked to the presence of cyanobacteria and the closure of the Mourèze and Mont Liausson forests due to fire risks. A meeting was therefore held on Monday, September 30, to provide feedback, in the presence of all stakeholders (communities, businesses, law enforcement, etc.).

A drop in attendance

After a few words of welcome from the mayor of Mourèze, Patrick-Albert Jaures, two technicians from the joint union, which manages the brand new Grand Site, took the floor to present the results of the season. They did not hide the fact that the situation is rather negative in terms of attendance, a trend that has been observed for several years. The average number of vehicles counted per day is in fact down by 4% at Lac du Salagou and by more than 22% in Mourèze! All the tourism managers present noted a drop in August, but were, on the other hand, pleased with a significant increase in the “seasonal wings” (spring and autumn).

The technicians continued their presentation by discussing operations to combat invasive plants, including the lagarosiphon under the waters of the lake and the opuntia rosea cactus outside. The meeting continued with speeches from the various service providers (nautical bases, guinguettes, associations, etc.) who gave their feelings about this summer season. All deplored the gloomy weather and did not fail to highlight the catastrophic impact of cyanobacteria on the attractiveness of the lake.

The Cyanobacteria Episode

“On August 13, the news broke: the Department was issuing an alert for an excessively high level of cyanobacteria in the lake waters, a service provider said. Information signs appeared, advising people to avoid swimming, not to ingest water and to keep dogs away from the banks. Suddenly, there was panic. Contradictory information circulated, and we were helpless. We will have to coordinate better in the future!”

Two technicians from the Hérault Department then stood up to inform the room of the risks related to cyanobacteria, as well as the history of their development in Hérault over the past few years. They recalled that from August 13 to 27, the alert threshold was crossed in Lake Salagou. The risks for humans and animals are very real, ranging from skin irritations to serious liver or nervous disorders. However, the cyanobacteria present in the lake have never revealed any toxicity. However, since this can be triggered at any time, the precautionary principle was therefore applied. Following this information, many local communities have decided to issue orders prohibiting swimming.

Improving communication

“A wind of panic has blown over Salagou, concluded the sub-prefect of Lodève Éric Suzanne. We must organize ourselves for the coming years in order to improve communication so that people understand the risks without falling into alarmism. We can very well imagine coming to the lake, pedal boating, without necessarily swimming!””A new meeting is already planned to prepare concrete solutions in the event of a reappearance of cyanobacteria in the coming years.

A well-monitored Grand Site

The Salagou-Mourèze Grand Site benefits from increased surveillance provided by several entities. There are indeed the Gendarmerie, patrol officers commissioned by the union, the French Biodiversity Office, municipal police and guards from the fishing federation. Note that the Republican Guard, mobilized this year for the Olympic Games, will return to the scene next year. During the meeting, the gendarmes reported an increase in car thefts in the Lieurède car park in the commune of Celles.

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