The 37 communes that make up the Toulouse Métropole area – Toulouse plus the surrounding small towns and suburbs – have from June 1st introduced tarification saisonnière (seasonal tarifs) for water.

The idea is to make water more expensive in the summer and cheaper in the winter, and encourage people to save water during the summer when the area is often hit by droughts.

Between June 1st and October 31st, water will be 42 percent more expensive than the current cost per metre cubed.

For the remaining seven months it will be 30 percent cheaper than the current cost.

Householders in the Toulouse Métropole will therefore pay €4.40 per metre cubed in the summer and €2.58 per m3 in the winter.

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The local authority says that the majority of households should see an overall saving in annual bills – due to the lower winter rate – but the idea is to encourage people to save as much water as possible in the summer, when drought often affects the area.

Of the roughly 1 million households affected, 90 percent receive their water from the Garonne, a river whose flow has been declining in recent years due to the effects of the climate crisis.

Large parts of the south-west of France are regularly placed on drought warnings during the summer, with local authorities imposing measures to limit water use – you can check the drought status of your local commune here.

Jean-Luc Moudenc, mayor of Toulouse and president of the Toulouse Métropole area, said: “The high temperatures and low rainfall observed in our region in 2022 and 2023 foreshadow the climate that the metropolis will experience in the future.

“As water is not an infinite resource, we must act collectively to preserve it.

“To adapt to climate change, Toulouse Métropole intends to reduce the amount of water taken from the Garonne by 2030, in line with the French government’s Water Plan, which calls for a 10 percent reduction. Modernisation of pipe networks to limit leaks, deployment of “intelligent” watering systems for green spaces, distribution of water-saving kits from June 2024, and rainwater recovery and storage in major development projects are just some of the solutions deployed.

“Among these measures, seasonal pricing is one of the levers for reducing day-to-day water use.

Everyone is encouraged to be more careful with their consumption, particularly from June to October, the five months of the year when water resources are at their weakest.”

Households on a low income can benefit from an exemption or spread payments – and are advised to contact their water provider.

The Toulouse Metropole is the largest area so far to introduce seasonal pricing for water, but several other towns have introduced it in recent years including Grasse in southern France, Montpellier, Libourne and Dunkirk.