Chapter Six: Consolidation and expansion   1989 - 2008

© DR

6.1 The story of lake Annecy appears on the surface to be quite simple and rather mundane: a lake was becoming polluted by waste-water and so a big sewer mains was built around the lake to protect it. But look beneath the surface and you find a story of dramatic struggle and impressive achievement - a story of historical significance and not just for France. We have seen the drama of Dr Servettaz’s vision for safeguarding the lake and his campaign which contributed to the creation of SILA in the section titled 'The Story'. In this section, 'Annecy after the war', we see the impressive achievements made by SILA since its creation to make safeguarding the lake and its entire environment a reality.

6.2 It soon became apparent that there was a lot more to safeguarding a lake than just building a sewer mains. Safeguarding the lake was a pioneering adventure never undertaken before anywhere in the world – so there was no blue print to follow, no established practice to implement, no text book for guidance. SILA learned what was needed over the years and gradually developed its responsibilities to encompass overall management of the lake. In so doing SILA can reasonably claim to have invented the science of Lake Management which, by the first decade of the twenty first century, had become an established area of expertise in use all over the world.

6.3 So what does “safeguarding the lake” entail in practice? It turns out to comprise a specific set of nine separate, but related, work-streams: two principal elements:

1.    Waste-water treatment and

2.    Household waste disposal, and 7 supporting Lake Management activities:

3.    Annual scientific study

4.    Regulation of lakeside construction

5.    Protection of lakeside flora and fauna

6.   Public Access

7.   Health & Safety

8.   Public education. and last but by no means least

9.   Coordinating lake users

A brief overview of each of these elements shows how they evolved over time at Lake Annecy to become an international benchmark for excellence in Lake Management.

6.3.1   Waste Water management.   The primary responsibility for SILA when it was set up in 1957 was to build a sewer mains around the lake to intercept waste water from the bordering communes and send it to be treated at one main plant at Cran Gevrier.  That was the first, the most urgent, most complex and most expensive task it faced, the one which took all Albert Janin’s time in planning and which was Louis Legrange’s principal responsibility for the first half of his twenty-seven year presidency.

6.3.2  Household waste.  But what about household waste?  Rubbish dumped by hotels, local butchers, garages etc, also polluted the lake and its shores, as Dr Servettaz had so graphically pointed out in his highly effective campaign of the 1950s.   In SILA’s early years there continued to be a poorly coordinated approach to dealing with such waste, much reckless dumping and some inefficient facilities for compacting the rubbish and dumping it as landfill. How was this all to be dealt with? One similarity to the approach to waste water was the construction of one large central facility for processing the waste efficiently.  This was achieved with the building of the plant called Sinergie at Chavanod in 1986 - one of Louis Lagrange last great achievements.  But how to channel household waste there?  This was achieved by a) passing and vigorously enforcing a law banning the dumping of rubbish in and around the lake in 1974 and b) by giving local communes the responsibility to organise the collection of rubbish and its transport to the processing plant.  The communes fulfilled their duty by building a network of large and small recycling points at strategic points in their territory.  Today these are noticeable features contributing to the unusually high level of cleanliness of the area.

6.3.3     Annual scientific study.  With liquid waste and solid waste intercepted and processed, is the job of safeguarding the lake done? Not quite.  The whole project was built upon a foundation of scientific study which first identified the pollution and what was needed to prevent it.  Further scientific study was therefore needed to measure the results of all the hard work with waste treatment, to see if they were indeed are having a beneficial impact, and also to continue to learn what improvements need to be made.  And so a third, essential aspect of safeguarding the lake was the implementation of annual scientific surveys of water quality, which was done through the agency of INRA (National Institute for Agronomy Research), beginning in 1966.

6.5.4   In anticipation of this significant increase in demand Mr Hérisson oversaw an ambitious investment in building a brand new water treatment facility at Cran Gevrier completed in 1997.

6.5.5   It was to be called “SILOÉ” after a competition to find a name was launched among students. This name refers to a fountain of pure water in Jerusalem and at the same time is a play on words combining the name SILA with the French word for water “EAU”.

6.5.6   The new facility had a significantly increased capacity to serve a population of the equivalent of 230,000 inhabitants, designed to meet the needs of an expanding population for thirty years to come, whilst at the same time improving the cleanliness of the water it discharged into the river Fier.

6.5.7   The plant was completely enclosed to suppress any unwanted smells and applied state of the art processes to remove phosphor and nitrogen and eliminate 97% of organic substances from the waste water.

6.5.8  Mr Hérisson also responded to the need to build several, strategically-positioned stand-alone treatment plants where necessary. When the law on water of 1992 obliged all communes to establish adequate control over their waste water by 31 December 2005, his put a great burden on communes, but SILA stepped in to help them out.

6.5.9   In addition to the above collective sanitation network, SILA helped to organise a “Non collectif” wastewater treatment network.   Though not  connected to the main network, these facilities are nevertheless overseen by a department of SILA (called SPANC short for "Service public d’assainissement non collectif") which assists with everything from planning and construction to regular inspection of operations.

Smaller treatment plants have been built in addition to the main plant at SILOÉ

© Jacques DESBIOLLES

6.6   Treatment of household waste

6.6.1 There was also a major refurbishment of the solid waste recycling plant at Chavanod.

6.6.2 In 2002 Sinergie began to generate its own electricity and heat from waste processing, and developed other ways of extracting value from the household waste processed.

6.6.3 The factory was enabled to produced enough electricity to cover its own needs as well as generate spare heat for a local community of 2200 inhabitants at Seynod (a commune that merged with Annecy on 1 January 2017). Plant capacity was increased to 140,000 tonnes per year to cope with a population equivalent to 252,000 inhabitants.

6.6.4 The refurbishment was designed to ensure the plant complied with all French and European norms for protecting the environment, and include amongst other things recycling of wood, metal, paper, glass, garden waste, cardboard, household, and broken appliances.

6.7 Annual Scientific study

6.7.1 Mr Hérisson continued with the scientific study of the lake by INRA each year throughout his presidency, helping to confirm Lake Annecy’s reputation as one of the lakes in the world with the longest history of scientific monitoring.

6.7.2  In addition he promoted the extension of SILA’s extended scientific studies by joining an international network for scientific study of lakes called Climasilac.

6.7.3 SILA also played a central role in the “Network of Alpine Lakes” with Italy and Slovenia (Switzerland, Germany and Austria having observer status.) By doing so, they shared experience and best practice of Lake Management.

6.8  Regulating lakeside construction

6.8.1   As well as ensuring what was not to be built around the lake, there are three particular construction initiatives which SILA has undertaken. a) the construction of a slipway and hangar at Sevrier for repairing and launching boats b) the subsequent replacement of this slipway with a brand new dry dock facility and the conversion of the hangar into a modern all purpose facility c) renovation from 2007 to 2012 of the eight landing stages situated at the communes surrounding the lake, used by passengers to board the ferries

6.8.2 The original slipway and hangar had been constructed by SILA back in 1971 during the presidency of Mr Herisson’s predecessor. Soon after Mr Herisson took over he negotiated a 40 year concession from the government to SILA in order to manage services related to boat repair and tourist activity. This concession enabled SILA to plan for the long term.

6.8.3 In 2006, thirty-five years after the original slipway and hangar had been built it was realised that it was no longer a safe and suitable facility for repairing boats and it was decided to completely reconstruct it, replacing the slipway with a brand new dry dock facility.

6.8.4   The 40 year concession also gave SILA responsibility for supporting tourist activity which included maintaining eight boarding points around the lake which are used by the cruise boats. From 2007 - 2012 these were refurbished at a cost of around 1 million euro with financial support from Conseil régional Rhône-Alpes.

SILA  maintains the landing stations

and boat repair facilities

© Gw. P. SILA 

6.9 Protecting lakeside flora and fauna

6.9.1  Under Mr Herisson SILA contributed financial support to Asters – the conservation body working for the protection of areas of natural beauty throughout Haute Savoie. In particular they supported work at a) the nature reserve at Roc du Chere at Talloires and at Bout du Lac at Doussard b) the marsh lands at Giez, Doussard and Faverges. The marshlands are part of a humid zone which plays an important role in the preservation and improvement of the quality of the lake water and also in supporting biodiversity around the lake.

6.10 Access

6.10.1     During Mr. Hérisson’s presidency SILA continued with the development of the “Green Pathway”.  In particular this meant it was to be used not just as a cycle path, but also for roller-skaters, people in wheel-chairs, and, at the side of the path, by walkers.

6.10.2     Between 1999 and 2001 a further 6.7 km of cycle path was built between Bredannaz and Giez.

6.10.3     Then in 2004-5  a further 9.5 km was added taking the path up to the village of Marlens (the limit de Savoie) and eventually as far as Ugine.

6.10.4     This path is not just important for attracting tourists, but also benefits the day to day life of local residents who are regularly seen to be using the path in all weathers and all seasons.

6.10.5     Further, to enhance safety for cyclists on the path, three underground tunnels were built to avoid the main road at Saint-Jorioz, Giez and Faverges.

Green Pathway - Cycle Path built alongside Lake Annecy

© Gw. P. / SILA

6.11 Health and safety.

6.11.1     No lake is naturally perfectly pure and constant vigilance is needed to ensure it is safe enough for human use.  SILA works closely with the Auvergne-Rhone Alps health authority to monitor the health of the lake's water. 

6.11.2   One issue - dermatite cercarienne - arose as a result of lake visitors feeding bread to ducks, and thereby encouraging them to stay put and interrupt their customary migratory habits. A tiny organism began to flourish living between the ducks on the surface and the snails on the lake floor. It produces a rash-like nettle sting to bathers who get in its way. Amongst many steps taken to deal with this issue SILA organised a conference of World-wide experts on 16 – 18 june 2003 to share ideas for combatting this problem. SILA has since conducted extensive research into this issue since, resulting in a management programme that has significantly reduced the numbers of bathers affected, see Chapter Seven. 

6.11.3  Another health and safety issue tackled by SILA in Pierre Hérisson’s leadership is the implementation of SAPALA – an automatic system for the protection and alert of lake Annecy – to warn of impending gales comprising flashing beacons placed at Annecy,  Talloires and Saint-Jorioz. Wind strength is measured continually by stations Giez and Chapelle Saint-Maurice. This system works with the participation of several parties, the police, Meteo France, and the Fire Service, SILA. The whole system was modernised in 2006 with financial support from the Rhone Alps region.

Ensuring the water is safe to swim and play in

©Damien_ZANELLA_SILA

 6.12 Education

6.12.1     Under Mr Hérisson SILA developed a wide variety of ways to tackle public education.  Firstly it opened the doors of both facilities at Sinergie and Siloé to the public in organised groups by appointment to enable visitors to discover how they worked and their role in the life of the community.

6.12.2    Additionally a programme of information materials was developed to enable people to understand the infrastructure put in place to deal with waste.  This was especially aimed at school children – the generation of the future - but also members of the general public. 

6.12.3   Another education programme is the cycling day “ discovery of the cycle promenade”.  This is a day where children are accompanied by guides on a cycle ride along the Green Way, learning about nature around the lake and the efforts taken to protect it.

6.12.3     Also in 12 September 2002 SILA created a local commission for information and surveillance (CLIS), part of the national network created by the State, to promote engagement with local inhabitants on questions of the environment and human health and management of rubbish. This is one excellent example of how the different workstreams are interconnected since this education programme was specifically designed to support the operations of the Sinergie plant

6.13  Coordination of all users of the lake.

 6.13.1    The lake serves a wide range of purposes and individual interests.

6.13.2    First and foremost it is the source of fresh, pure drinking water for local inhabitants.

6.13.3    No less importantly, it is a site of unmatched natural beauty which  attracts  tourists from all over the world and so provides an engine for the local economy.

6.13.4   It has been the setting for the cherished hobby, and sometimes livelihood, of generations of local fishermen 

6.13.5   It provides a clean, safe body of water for a wide variety of sports such as  swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, rowing, windsurfing and sailing

6.13.6   It is also caters for a variety of motorised sports, including passenger cruises, wake-boarding and wake-surfing

6.13.7   It provides a wonderful setting for a variety of outdoor exercises nordic walking, cycling, running, hiking, golf, horse riding and not forgetting parapenting.

6.13.8   It is a place of great interest to environmental scientists who study the physical, chemical and biological properties of the water as they evolve over time, and to paleolimnologists who can reconstruct the history of the lake from studying its sediment.

6.13.9   Most of  these interests are potentially conflicting, promising perpetual argument between its user without an effective means of coordination.  And this is why SILA's last responsibility is by no means its least: working closely with the State to oversee navigation rules, and arranging for all these interest groups to meet regularly to share their concerns, and resolve conflicts, on a regular basis and thereby ensure the peaceful enjoyment of the lake by all.

6.13.10   Mr. Hérisson understood the need for SILA to play an active role in coordinating the actitivities of all the lake’s users and so continued to support an informal working party which had been set up in 1980 under his predecessor to discuss such issues.  But given the pressure of his many other initiatives, no formal structure was put in place.  This was left to his successor.

Ensuring the peaceful enjoyment of the lake by all

thanks to Lake Annecy Tourist Office

Continue Reading  Chapter Seven