It has been illegally pumping spring water for over 20 years for its snow cannons: the La Clusaz resort in turmoil

Des canons à neige à La Clusaz en 2020. MAXPPP – Giacomo Italiano

An investigation has just revealed that the La Clusaz ski resort in Haute-Savoie has been illegally pumping spring water for 20 years, in particular to supply its snow cannons.

Ecology and respect for the environment have been two subjects at the heart of debates for many years now. As revealed by our colleagues at Blast and Parisien, a judicial investigation conducted by the French Office for Biodiversity has shown that the La Clusaz ski resort (Haute-Savoie) had installed a pumping system without authorization.

More than 130,000 m3

It all began in the summer of 2022 when agents from the French Office for Biodiversity noticed municipal flower boxes being watered despite drought restrictions.

An investigation was then opened to find out where the water came from. Against all expectations, a water and spring pumping system going to an artificial snow production unit was discovered. This is used in particular to snow ski slopes when natural snowflakes are absent.

But when did this system date from and how much water was captured ? The pumping system was set up in 2000 without any authorization having been granted. As for the volume of water diverted, this is a “very significant” level, according to Francis Charpentier, administrator of the Mountain Wilderness Association. In fact, a meter was installed in 2014. Since then, no less than 135,108 m3 have been pumped, which is equivalent to several Olympic swimming pools.

“No irregularity was deliberately hidden, since all stakeholders had access to the entire file” during the work, the town hall of La Clusaz defended itself. However, it acknowledged that "certain elements required administrative regularization that was not done at the time".

It should be noted that the Haute-Savoie prefecture has decided to take measures. Thus, the resorts of Praz, Lys-Sommand and the Brasses massif have been formally notified for non-compliance with prefectural decrees governing water withdrawals for artificial snow.