Veolia Water will be in charge of water production and distribution, bulk sales to neighboring communities and customer relations.
Its first focus will be to increase the reliability of the water distribution network by replacing lead-pipe connections before the regulatory deadline of end-2013, and to improve the performance of the aging network. It is already planned to update network modeling, analyze the state of the pipes, and use special techniques (remote network diagnosis, video inspections and pre-localization of leaks) to detect weaknesses as rapidly as possible and make repairs.
The priority is also on improved metering of the water consumed, especially by the public sector. This will be achieved through installing meters on the sprinklers used to water public spaces, remote-metering equipment in public buildings and hydrants with an in-built payment system for cleaning streets and pipe networks. By applying all these measures, the aim is to achieve network performance of 90% by the end of the contract.
Veolia Water has also committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the water service. A carbon balance study will be carried out and actions taken to preserve biodiversity through specific management methods for green spaces at water production sites.
Veolia Water will ask an outside organization to audit and grade its operation of the water service three times during the contract. The audits will assess criteria for environmental protection, participation in the economic development of Royan, and social responsibility.
In addition, customer-satisfaction surveys will be carried out every two years.