Monique Barbut, Minister for Ecological Transition, visits BRGM to discuss groundwater and drought

Monique Barbut, Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature, visited BRGM in Orléans on 9 September 2026. The visit provided an opportunity to brief the Minister on BRGM’s contributions to the sustainable management of groundwater.

Groundwater: a crucial BRGM mission

For more than 50 years, BRGM teams have been studying, monitoring and raising awareness of groundwater resources in France and around the world. BRGM intervenes at several levels to:

• characterise aquifers,
• consolidate and disseminate data and knowledge,
• support authorities to ensure the sustainable management of groundwater,
• develop solutions such as controlled aquifer recharge or underground physical barriers.

PRIME, a platform for environmental decontamination

At the PRIME platform, an innovative testing facility for soil and water decontamination, Monique Barbut was shown the TRINAPPE metric pilot project.

This installation was designed to investigate the migration of pollutants from the surface to groundwater, and also to develop techniques for the decontamination or stabilisation of pollutants. Many scenarios can be tested experimentally or simulated numerically, including climate scenarios that may alter the temperature of the surrounding environment and influence the behaviour of pollutants.

Aquifer monitoring: Groundwater Bulletin and the MétéEAU Nappes Platform

BRGM staff then presented to the Minister the Groundwater Bulletin and, in particular, the situation as of 1^st September. The MéteEau Nappes platform was also presented. Developed by BRGM, this application provides real-time information on the status of aquifers in France and helps to forecast short-term changes in water levels (ranging from a few weeks to several months). Originally brought online in 2021, the MétéEAU Nappes tool was completely upgraded in 2025 to better meet users’ needs.

A presentation on the piezometric network, together with an explanation of how a piezometer works, finally enabled a complete understanding of the entire groundwater monitoring system in France.

Monique Barbut was extremely interested in all the topics presented and in BRGM’s role in groundwater management and monitoring.