Nature-based solutions to reduce flooding: case of the Bièvre valley

Faced with the multiple challenges posed by environmental emergencies (flooding, extreme heat, loss of biodiversity), it is essential to address these issues simultaneously, with a systemic vision. More and more projects are being launched to address these issues locally, over shorter or longer periods of time, in the most effective way possible, and with actions that are within everyone's reach.

The Bièvre valley, 15 km from Paris, is known for its semi-torrential regime and flooding. Hydraulic structures such as regulation basins in the river's right-of-way and concrete settling structures in the watercourse built after the floods of the 1980s were typical of the civil and hydraulic engineering of the time, with little respect for the river's ecology. In addition to the biological impoverishment of the environment caused by these infrastructures, their operating costs were constantly rising. This prompted the SIAVB to take steps to restore the natural environment by draining the permanent water bodies.