Between Agde and Vias, thousands of tons of sand removed from the Clôt channel

Necessary work continues between the beaches of Vias and Agde. MIDI LIBRE – OLIVIER RAYNAUD

Une vue aérienne du chenal avant les travaux. COMMUNAUTE D'AGGLOMERATION HERAULT MEDITERRANEE

Cette opération de 67 000 euros, qui a lieu tous les cinq ans, a pour but de faciliter l’écoulement des eaux en cas de crues.

During your summer wanderings, you may have had the opportunity, once you reached the very end of Tamarissière beach, to ford the channel known as the Clôt channel to find the Viassois coastline on the other side. This was not very complicated in recent years, as the sediment had accumulated in this channel. Next summer, however, it will probably be a different story.

8,000 cubic meters of sediment released

The Hérault Méditerranée urban community has in fact started a project entrusted to the Cazal company, in order to evacuate 8,000 cubic meters of marine sediment deposited in the mouth of the channel by the wind and sea currents. “The aim of the sand removal work is to remove excess sediment in order to facilitate the evacuation of flood water from the Canal du Midi and the Verdisses wetland towards the sea”, explains the Hérault Méditerranée agglomeration.

It must be said that the role of this wetland located between Agde and Vias is of the utmost importance in the event of flooding. “The channel was actually dug for that”, recalls Luc Seco, an expert on the area. “If a flood occurs and the anti-salt structure located a little higher up is opened (built in particular to limit the salinization of the land, Editor's note), the water should be able to flow normally towards the sea. Which is no longer the case when there is too much sand in the channel.”

The sand is returned to the beaches of Agde and Vias

Obviously, the fact of not being able to “protect” the entrance to the Clôt canal with a breakwater, as was once considered but refused by the State services, forcing it to repeat this sand removal operation approximately every five years, knowing that it costs the community 67,000 euros – financed by the Agglo and the Hérault department – ​​for the operation currently being carried out. As for the sand, it is unloaded by trucks onto the Vias and Tamarissière beaches, in order to further fertilize the coastal strip.