Description
Manager of the Auverwatch site: Hélène Celle-Jeanton
The AUVERWATCH (AUVERgne WATer CHemistry) project aims at the quantitative and qualitative follow-up of characteristic water masses in Auvergne in order to observe the long-term evolution of these hydrosystems depending on anthropogenic modifications and climatic change. Four hydrogeological analogues have been selected, including rainfall, alluvial hydrosystem, volcanic aquifer and thermo-mineral circulations.
The project focuses especially on the alluvial aquifer of the Allier River, that plays both an important socio-economic role – drinking water supply and agricultural development – and an ecological role as a part of the Loire watershed.
Scientific Goals
Two main axes are being developed:
1) a long-term follow-up of the hydrodynamic and hydrochemical parameters with for objectives, the study of the evolution of the quality and quantity of water in relation with anthropic and climatic modifications and the production of tools for the water management by competent authorities;
2) transdisciplinary experiments on the alluvial aquifer, combining hydrogeology, hydrochemistry, geophysics and optics.
AUVERWATCH sites
These different axes of study are implemented on 2 sites:
The Val d’Allier catchment area
Consists of 71 pumping wells associated with observation piezometers and used by Clermont Auvergne Métropole to produce 80% of its drinking water supply.
The Port-Douvot experimental site
Located near Besançon in Burgundy Franche-Comté, consisting of a pumping well and 8 piezometers associated with fibre optics.
The aim of the studies carried out on these 2 sites is to better constrain the pressures exerted on the alluvial aquifers and to improve the understanding of the aquifer/river relationships with a focus on the reactivity of the alluvial deposits.
Data availability
OPGC database
Hydrogeochemistry data of the different measurement points of the Val d’Allier sites are available in the database of the Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (OPGC) at the following link:
H+ database
Geophysical profiles, weather station datasets, piezometric levels and multiparameter probe measurements at Port-Douvot and Val d’Allier sites are available in the H+ database.
To access the data, please log in with your H+ database ID’s at the following link :
Predefined requests
To help finding general datasets, predefined database requests have been created and are regularly executed. Results of the requests can be downloaded from the links available here:
Port-Douvot
Water cycle
- Weather: air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, pressure, rainfall, wind
Geochemical cycle
- OPGC database: hydrogeochemistry data
Borehole hydrogeophysics
Spatialized hydrogeophysics
Boreholes
Stations
Val d’Allier
Geochemical cycle
- OPGC database: hydrogeochemistry data
Spatialized hydrogeophysics
Boreholes
Stations
KMZ viewer
The viewer below offers a comprehensive site visualization and information on available public data such as types, numbers and dates of measurements, locations of sites, wells and stations, as well as data providers information. This interface also provides an overview of available geophysical maps and cross-sections.
To visualize the data in the Google Earth software, you can download the following KMZ files: Port-Douvot.kmz & Val-d-Allier.kmz
Data files can be downloaded directly from Google Earth using the H+ database account.