French public service management is fast changing with the adoption of the “MAPTAM” Law of January 17, 2014 and the “NOTRe” Law of August 7, 2015. The resulting reorganization has led to mergers and expansions of the local authorities for the area covered by SIARE, the sanitation consortium in the Enghien-les-Bains area.
Water and sanitation assignments must meet regulatory objectves, such as the directive on urban wastewater (DERU), the water framework directive, the law on water and aquatic environments, the master plan for water development and management (SDAGE) and the flood risk management plan (PGRI). However, the expected outcomes rely largely on technical issues such as hydrology, geology and hydraulics that go beyond administrative boundaries.
In this context of newly allocated responsibilities (e.g. aquatic environment and flood risk management), SIARE wanted to study the benefits of taking on new assignments and the best ways of pooling resources in line with its overall objectives.