Session 5.B Information needed for water pricing &
expenditure on water – Vienna – 22 June 2005
French experience with water prices
survey and use - Illustration from the
Artois-Picardie river basin
Arnaud Courtecuisse
Agence de l’Eau Artois-Picardie – France
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
Content of the presentation
1. The objectives of the survey
2. The Artois-Picardie basin’s context
3. Water price survey
4. Assessment of household’s available income
5. Comparison Water bill vis à vis available income
6. Results, limits and discussion
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
1. The objectives of the survey
• from water price to water bill analysis
• the rising of the awareness about social
impact of water bill
• the context of the WFD’s implementation and
its reference to disproportionate costs :
• comparison of costs and benefits
• capacity of economic sectors (inc.
households) to finance the
environmental objectives targeted
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
2. The context of the Artois-Picardie Basin
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
2. The context of the Artois-Picardie Basin
Rivers quality
assessment
• 20 000 Km2
• 4,7 Millions inhabitants
• GDP: 98 billions €
• GPD/inhabitant: 21 107 €
• GPD/inh France: 25 978 €
• Unemployment rate: 12,7%
• France: 9,9 %
• 96% of drinkable water
come from groundwater
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
3. Water price survey
• tariffs for water and sewerage set at municipality
level (2 448 for the Artois-Picardie basin)
• an annual survey is undertaken by the ArtoisPicardie Water agency (i.e. collecting the price for
water and sewerage for all municipalities for a mean
consumption of 120m3 per year and per household)
• this survey covers (in 2004) 95% of the basin’s
population
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
3. Water price survey
• one page questionnaire sent to municipalities,
groups of municipalities, private operators every year
• a feedback to all 2 448 municipalities through 4
pages results (mean water price for the basin, for
sub-basin,…)
• since 2004 survey, the data at municipality level
can be found on the Artois-Picardie agency website
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
Mean Price for one m3
3. Water price survey
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
3. Water price survey
The breakdown of the 3,28 euros
Water
Distribution
Sewerage
Environmental
Taxes
Other taxes
VAT
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
Country
Spain
Ireland
Luxembourg
UK
Italy
Sweden
Portugal
Greece
France
Finland
Germany
Belgium
Netherlands
Danmark
Austria
Consumption
(liter/day/perso
nn
Mean water
price m3
Water +
sewerage+taxes
(euros/m3)
130
135
150
150
160
180
190
200
113
116
118
120
126
138
150
1,0
0
0,90
1,6
0,8
1,15
1,0
1,1
2,6
2,5
3,6
1,9
2,7
4,3
2,6
IWA
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
4. Assessment of household’s available income
Aisne
Nord
Pas de Calais
Somme
Mean available
income per
household
23 499
24 314
23 194
23 796
table 1 : Mean available income per household in all the
sub-region of the Artois-Picardie Basin.
Source : INSEE (National Statistics) + CEGMA TOPO
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
5. Comparison Water bill vis à vis available income
Mean Water bill (all services)
(price paid for 120m3 in a year)
Mean available income per household
Mean available
income per
household (A)
Mean Water invoice
per household
(120m3/year) (B)
B/A
Aisne
23 499
455
1,94%
Nord
24 314
366
1,51%
Pas de
Calais
23 194
428
1,85%
Somme
23 796
382
1,61%
Table 2 : comparison of the mean water invoice with
mean available income per household
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
Water bill / mean
available Income
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
5. Comparison at municipality level
Water Bill / Mean Available Income
Less than 1%
More than 3%
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
5. Comparison at municipality level
Water Bill / Available Income
More than 2%
Only Water Distribution
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
6. Results, limits and discussion
• several groups of municipalities with ratio>3% (23% is a guidance value – see OCDE, EU, Académie de
l’eau)
• these groups of municipalities combine high water
price and low mean available income (and sometimes
household’s expenses to buy bottled water equivalent
to annual water bill)
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
6. Results, limits and discussion
• the commonly used value of annual consumption of
120 m3 per household hides important differences of
mean consumption per region
• mean available income per municipality hides also
various situations (and the real part of the population
facing major difficulties to pay water bills)
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005
6. Results, limits and discussion
• what to do ? Continue ! Refine this ratio and
continue to track it in the coming years
• pay a specific attention to the groups of
municipalities where efforts to meet WFD objectives
should lead to major increase in water price (extent
solidarity principle, delay or less stringent objectives ?)
• it raises this issue of specific social tariffs (e.g.
Flanders’ experience, blocks tariffs, development of
water savings, renew confidence in tap water)
7 novembre 2002
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AC - Agence de l’eau Artois-Picardie
Vienna, 22 June 2005