2023-12-26 16:07:36
A priority of the Government’s ecological planning, the “Water Plan”, for more sober, resilient and concerted management of water, this strategic and vital resource, was presented in March 2023 by the President of the Republic. In response to the commitments made, the Ministry of Health and Prevention is proposing a decree and an order allowing the use of non-potable water for certain domestic uses. These draft texts are subject to public consultation from December 26, 2023 to January 26, 2024 on the website of the ministry responsible for ecological transition.
Today, drinking water is used for all so-called domestic water uses, including flushing toilets, washing floors, watering green spaces on a scale. buildings. Exceptions are however possible, in particular for uses made from rainwater or treated gray water (water from sinks and showers in particular). The draft texts submitted for public consultation aim to extend the types of water unfit for human consumption (non-potable) that can be used, the places where it will be possible to use them, as well as the domestic uses that can be carried out from of this water, when its quality does not represent any risk, direct or indirect, to the health of the public and users of buildings.
The draft texts specify, depending on the case, the administrative procedure to be respected, the technical design rules, the quality criteria as well as the upkeep and maintenance operations applicable to systems using water unfit for human consumption. . These procedures and operations are the responsibility of the owner of the indoor water distribution systems, generally the building owner. He must ensure that his system is in good working order and must also ensure that users and the public frequenting the buildings have good information.
In order to support efforts to preserve water resources and limit pressure on the availability of drinking water, schools and establishments open to sensitive populations, such as hospitals and accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (EHPAD ) – for the latter, prefectural authorization will be required – may also use water unfit for human consumption for certain domestic uses listed in the draft texts.
Concerning uses and water (for example the use of treated gray water for washing clothes), for which scientific and practical knowledge is currently not sufficiently available to define a regulatory and technical framework guaranteeing the health safety of users, the draft decree provides that experiments can be carried out. When the new uses have demonstrated their compatibility with human health, they will be able to complete the regulatory framework proposed today.
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