In Normandy, a campsite moved to escape rising waters

"Here, following the flood of 1999, a hundred caravans were floating behind the dike," says Stéphane Costa, a lecturer and researcher in geography at the University of Caen Normandy.

"It is one of the rare territories in France that has dared to take action, each euro invested in anticipation of climate change means 10 to 15 euros saved in repairs," he adds, praising the action of local elected officials.

The project, called "Basse Saane 2050", has several objectives: the relocation of the municipal campsite, the reconnection of the Saane river to the sea and the restoration of the natural state of the site of the former campsite, a first in France according to the Conservatoire du littoral.

This organization piloted this project, financed in particular by European funds, which extends over three communes in the Saane valley: Quiberville-sur-mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-mer, and Longueil.

The dike built in the 19th century to drain the marshes and make them arable was until now crossed by a "pipe", a concrete conduit which did not allow the entire flow of the Saane to flow in the event of a flood, and which prevented migratory fish from going up the river.

Behind this sea wall road, the municipal campsite with nearly 200 pitches, too often flooded, was threatened with administrative closure.

"The level of the Channel has risen by 20 cm in a hundred years and 10 cm in 30 years, it is accelerating" observes Mr. Costa, co-president of the "IPCC Normand", a group of scientists responsible for studying the impact of climate change on the region.

The cliffs and the beach, meanwhile, are suffering from "major" erosion.

Faced with this alarming observation, the protection of human activities has long been based on concrete, rockfill, or the addition of pebbles... Short-term solutions which no longer prevent flooding.

"Anticipate"

Jean-François Bloc, mayor of Quiberville for 36 years, had to face the facts: "During the first decade, I said 'We're going to show nature what we can do', the second we suffered, and the third I said 'We're going to anticipate'."

An initial project was met with opposition: it would have led to expropriations and cut off traffic on the sea wall, which is essential for tourism and the daily lives of local residents.

The delegation given to the Normandy Coastal Conservatory by the water agency will change everything.

Deputy delegate at the Conservatory, Régis Leymarie and his teams had to find a response to the risk of erosion and submersion while preserving the economy and biodiversity. The new project was presented in 2016 after a phase of diagnosis and discussions with all stakeholders.

"It's a change in the coastal development model," he believes.

"A 12-metre bridge will be built to let the sea into the valley at each tide, we stop fighting against nature and fixing the coastline", he continues, "but 2025 is not the end of the project, the adaptation will be permanent".

A brand new municipal campsite with 160 pitches opened 700 metres upstream in summer 2023 to replace the old one.

The net artificialization of the land is "zero, what we took to build the new campsite, we give back to the sea with the land of the old one in the valley" according to him.

Of the approximately 17 million needed, 35% comes from the European Union, the same from the Seine-Normandy water agency, the rest from local authorities (municipalities, departments, regions, etc.).

This project would not have been carried out "without political support, without the support of residents, traders, hunters and farmers, there was no opposition, acceptability is central", concludes Mr. Leymarie.