Essey-lès-Nancy, France
City population: 257052
Duration: 2016 – 2019
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Natural Heritage Area/Untouched nature
Last updated: October 2021

"Renaturation and flood control works on the Grémillon stream are being undertaken in the Nancy agglomeration. The stream is subject to overflows and was highly artificialized during the urban development of the Nancy agglomeration, which caused a slow degradation of the natural environment during strong storms. In order to solve these problems, Grand Nancy has decided to implement a set of measures designed to protect the populations from overflowing of the stream and to support the regaining quality of the natural environment"(Ref. 1).

People in construction gear surveying a river from a bridge
https://www.cerema.fr/system/files/documents/2019/04/9_cerema_presentation_gremillon_v2_2.pdf

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Riverbank/Lakeside greens
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management

Focus

Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas

Project objectives

-Flooding control to protect the population -Improve water quality and reduce water flows (Ref. 2) -Preserve natural environment "These developments will: • reduce the vulnerability of urban areas to floods; • to combat erosion and shoreline erosion; • improve water quality to promote the development of biodiversity; • integrate the stream with existing urban environment through better landscape value." (Ref. 3) - This flooding control plan has been implemented because of the flooding disaster of 2012 (Ref. 2) - Improvement of the ecological quality of the creek (Ref.2 ) (Ref. 5): -Creation of two flood zone expansions 15,000 m3and 2,700 m3 -Optimization of existing retention -Widening of the major bed -Remeandering for a dynamic slowdown of flows

Implementation activities

"The planning of the Grémillon Stream in Essey-lès-Nancy will require the cutting down of hundred trees (willows for the most part)","These cutting operations will begin before the nesting of the birds" "All trees will be replaced. The new plantations will be completed in October 2017, following work on the creek and at the time of the most favorable period for the recovery of plants. Where possible, willow strains will be conserved to improve natural cuttings of new plants." (Ref. 3) - Renaturation plan to slowdown the water flows, removal of artificial banks to create a natural stream for ecological gain. -Landscape integration of the creek -Plantation of 218 trees in the Essey-lès-Nancy area (Ref. 2) (Ref. 5) -Creation of two flood zone expansions 15,000 m3and 2,700 m3 -Optimization of existing retention -Widening of the major bed -Remeandering for a dynamic slowdown of flows

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore ecological connectivity

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Government-led

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

-Implemented by the "Grand Nancy Metropole" (local government) (Ref. 3, page 4) -Partly financed by the Water Agency of the Region and European Funds (FEDER) (Ref. 3, page 6) -The works are done by different private actors such as the independent engineering Agency "ARTELIA" (Ref. 2 ) -regional gov: "This project is part of the overall improvement of the quality of the aquatic environments of the bassin Rhin Meuse, as outlined in the Master Plan for Water Management and Planning (SDAGE)." (Ref. 2) -"Several technical partners are associated with the project: Department of Territories of Meurthe and Moselle, the National Office of Water and Aquatic Environments, the Departmental Federation for Fishing and Protection of the Aquatic Environment of Meurthe-et-Moselle." (Ref. 3)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes ("This project is part of the overall improvement of the quality of the aquatic environments of the bassin Rhin Meuse, as outlined in the Master Plan for Water Management and Planning (SDAGE)." (Ref. 2) -In response of the flooding disaster of 2012 (Ref. 2))

Financing

Total cost

€2,000,000 - €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • EU funds
  • Public regional budget
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
  • Other

Economic impacts

  • Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
  • Reduce financial cost for urban management

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Unknown

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. Métropole Grand Nancy(n.d). "Travaux de renaturation et de lutte contre les inondations du ruisseau du Grémillon". (Website not available in 2020).
2. Artelia (2017). "Travaux de renaturation et de lutte contre les inondations du Grémillon". (Website not available in 2020).
3. Métropole Grand Nancy (2017). "AMÉNAGEMENTS DU RUISSEAU DU GRÉMILLON". Dossier Presse. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 7, 2020).
4. Métropole Grand Nancy (2016). "Rapport Annuel de Développement Durable 2016". Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 7, 2020).
5. Métropole Grand Nancy (2019). "Travaux de renaturationet de lutte contre les inondations du ruisseau du Grémillon". Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 7, 2020).
6. Mazeaud, Guillaume (2017). "Le Grémillon en passe d’être domestiqué". L'est Republicain. Available at: Source link (Accessed: August 7, 2020).
Aerial overview sketch of plans for renaturing river
https://www.cerema.fr/system/files/documents/2019/04/9_cerema_presentation_gremillon_v2_2.pdf