In response to climate change and recurring droughts, the Syndicat du Tech has launched an ambitious project to safeguard the future of the Tech-Albères territory. On October 12, in the presence of the Prefect, Alexandre Puignau, President of the Syndicat du Tech, presented an innovative, multifunctional restoration project for an old gravel pit in Villelongue-dels-Monts. The clear ambition is to reconcile the protection of natural environments, flood management, and agricultural security.
The project includes the restoration of nearly 40 hectares of wetlands and a substitute water reservoir of 447,000 m³. This reservoir, to be supplied during high water periods, would reduce withdrawals from the Tech river in summer by up to 160 liters per second.
According to the Syndicate's president, it is no longer possible to oppose agricultural needs to environmental imperatives; common solutions must be built. The Prefect supported this public interest initiative, highlighting the cost of inaction while reminding of the necessary steps for its realization and funding.
This project is part of a broader strategy, driven by a future Water Management Territorial Project (PTGE), which will combine water conservation, water savings, alternative resources, and nature-based solutions. The SMIGATA (Syndicat mixte de gestion et d'aménagement Tech-Albères) thus assumes its responsibility to bring stakeholders together, overcome divisions, and prepare the territory for climate challenges.
