In order to protect the source of mineral water like a cash cow, Evian people do their best.
In the spring area of 16 square kilometers, the mineral water resources are protected from three aspects. One is the protection of nature, and the impermeable moraine layer (glacier sediment) with a thickness of tens of meters prevents surface water from infiltrating into the deep underground; The second is legal protection. The statement of public interest guarantees the integrity of the surface. The third is technical protection, such as protecting the mineral water diversion channel with stainless steel pipes and sealing mortar.
Nature protection
Evian Town is located in the southeast of France, at the foot of the Alps, on the south bank of Lake Geneva, across the lake from Lausanne, where ioc headquarters is located.
The unique geological structure and hydrological conditions of Evian water source area are the natural basis for the formation of mineral water. The melting water and rainfall from the snow in the mountains provide abundant water sources. The hydraulic conductivity of gravel and gravel structure under swamps, meadows and shrubs in the catchment area is very low, which provides 65,438+05 years of filtration, purification and mineralization for groundwater flowing through it. The impermeable moraine layer (glacier deposit) with a thickness of several tens of meters prevents surface water from infiltrating into the deep underground.
legal protection
The definition of "natural mineral water" in French laws and regulations is very strict, which requires that the key characteristics such as purity, composition and temperature of mineral water must be very stable, otherwise the label of "natural mineral water" is not allowed. In order to make Evian mineral water meet the standard, Evian Company took the lead in formulating voluntary and non-mandatory policies to make farmers in catchment areas abide by health laws and regulations, such as limiting the number of livestock, limiting oil-fired power generation and heating, supervising sewage discharge, supervising the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and protecting wetland ecology.
The local people have paid a lot to protect the water source, so they have also received considerable economic compensation. For example, 1990, 80% of local farmers have received agricultural policy subsidies from the European Union. Without these protective measures, intensive management and urbanization in rural areas may threaten the catchment areas.
There is also a statement of public interest, which ensures the integrity of the surface.
Technical protection
Evian water source is divided into two areas: catchment area of 35 square kilometers and spring area 16 square kilometers. 654.38+0.7 million local people mainly live on agriculture and animal husbandry (cheese processing), 654.38+0.4 people live in catchment areas, and another 3/4 people live in spring areas. The production and lifestyle of residents have a direct impact on the quality of mineral water, water source landscape and biodiversity. Since the late 1980s, Evian Mineral Water Company has launched various actions to protect water sources, involving wastewater treatment, urban and rural planning, wetland protection, tourism, biodiversity and agriculture.
1992 established the Evian Mineral Water Catchment Protection Association (APIEME), which is composed of spring water areas, catchment villages, Evian Company and state-owned public departments, and played an important role in the economic development and social welfare maximization of Evian water source areas.
Evian's water source protection policy not only relies on Evian's technicians, but also gets technical support from external research or consulting institutions when necessary. The implementation of this policy has enabled local authorities to achieve a good balance between protecting water sources and developing the economy. From 65438 to 0998, Evian Company joined the signatory countries of the Convention on Wetlands, which set a precedent for signing contracts as a company and participating in various water resources protection projects together with other countries and regions. Evian's experience in protecting water sources has also been vigorously promoted. Drinking water brands such as Fuvik in France, Villavicencio in Argentina, Aqua in Indonesia, Bonafont in Mexico and Salus in Uruguay also benefited.
In the same year that Evian Mineral Water Catchment Protection Association was established, Nestle established Agriva, a French agricultural consulting agency, to protect the water sources of its three major mineral water brands Vettel, Hoba and Kuangcui. In the past 20 years, Agriwa has cooperated with local farmers to popularize environmental protection agricultural technology, and adopted measures such as eliminating the use of pesticides, reducing the use of nitrate fertilizers, and crop rotation, and successfully managed the agricultural areas, forests, parks and railways in the water source area of 100 square kilometers (12 towns), ensuring the stability of mineral water quality.