Subterraines Water Distribution Areas — Adour-Garonne Basin

Water distribution areas are areas comprising basins, sub-basins, fractions of sub-watersheds (superficial ERAs) or aquifer systems (Underground ERAs), characterised by a lack of resources, other than exceptional, in relation to needs. Procedure: These areas are defined by Decree No 94-354 of 29 April 1994, as amended by Decree No 2003-869 of 11 September 2003. Classified by decree, these areas are translated into a list of municipalities by the prefects of the departments (ZRE Communes). In these areas, the thresholds for authorisation and reporting of samples from surface water and groundwater are lowered.These provisions are intended to enable better control of the demand for water, in order to ensure the best preservation of aquatic ecosystems and the reconciliation of economic uses of water. In these areas, water withdrawals of more than 8 m³/s are subject to authorisation and all others are subject to reporting. Reference texts: — Decree No 94-354 of 29 April 1994 — Decree No 2003-869 of 11 September 2003.