e n i z A 5 g 1 A 0 2 M e n n o u i J t A M r o f n S P E C I A L R E P O R T i WAter, A treAsure We cAn All enJoy L A c ‘ o L z A i r o v A e n i z r o M N E W S MountAin biking, ‘ the fAvourite suMMertiMe sport P R O J E C T ‘ A children's centre in AvoriAz TABLE OF CONTENTS SPECIAL REPORT 4 to 6 WATER STRAIghT fROm ThE SOuRCE ‘ SPORTS 7 to 9 SPORTS ANd ChAmPIONS ‘ NEWS 10 to 19 mOuNTAIN bIkINg 20 A NEW SkATE-PARk 21 ‘ ANd RuNNINg PROJECT 22 and 23 AvORIAz TO gET A CENTRE dEdICATEd ‘ TO ChILdREN SERvICES SOCIAL mATTERS 24 and 25 COmmuNICATION: A NEW WEbSITE 26 and 27 ‘ ThE fIRE SERvICE IS RECRuITINg 28 and 29 SEASONAL WORkERS: ACCOmmOdATION ANd JObS 29 ThE SummER PROgRAmmE 30 ‘ TOuRIST TAX 31 ‘ ThE TOWN'S fLOWERS EvENTS 32 ‘ LOCAL INfORmATION ‘ bIRThS, mARRIAgES ANd dEAThS 33 OuR NEW LITTLE ONES ‘ hERITAgE 34 and 35 ‘ SOON A muSEum fOR OuR hERITAgE Responsable de la publication : Le maire Gérard Berger et la Commission Communication Réalisation et rédaction : Chantal Bourreau Conception graphique : EC Création - La Marmotte Bleue Ce magazine a été imprimé sur du papier labellisé PEFC (Programme de Reconnaissance des Certifications Le groupe Toto sera en concert dans le cadre des Harleys Days Forestières) et dans une imprimerie bénéficiant du label Imprim'Vert : Imprimerie Nouvelle-Sallanches. 2 EDITORIAL During the Christmas holidays our two stations were in the news for their daily quota limitations. This meant our skiing customers felt privileged, making the most of the snow we had and that other stations dreamed of … But memories don't last long and this episode is already almost forgotten, especially as the season ended better than it started with some great snowfalls and all kinds of events organised that entertained both visitors and residents. This climatic situation made it clearer than ever that links between our two ski stations are essential. This spring 2015 edition of the Mag is thicker than usual. For once we decided to cover topics related to preparations for the summer season as well as town news. As a result this magazine is a mix of the " Mag " and the pre-season " Letter ". You’ll find the usual information regarding town news and projects, whether it for young people or the protection of our heritage, as well as a focus on water, flowers in the town, sports and our athletes. There is also an in-depth report on mountain biking and the efforts that are made to ensure this sport does not interfere with other mountain activities. The interviews highlight the growing importance of mountain biking in our stations and points of view that need to be considered for the future, taking into account economic development and shared space. We voluntarily postponed an important article on the town's finances. We will give you details in a later issue along with the achievements and projects in our mandate. In this Mag there are 36 pages of information and news to help you prepare for the summer season, with some great attractions, entertainment and events such as the "Salon de la Pass'Portes du Soleil" and the "Harley Days" that will take over the town. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Mag and I wish you a very pleasant summer season. The Mayor Gérard Berger 3 ‘SPECIAL REPORT WAter STRAIGHT FROM THE SOuRCE WE hARNESS IT, TRANSPORT IT, STORE IT, TREAT IT ANd PuRIfy IT bEfORE dISTRIbuTINg IT TO CLIENTS … LET'S fOLLOW ThE ASTONIShINg JOuRNEy uNdERTAkEN by WATER, A COmmOdITy ThAT SCIENTISTS CALL ThE " bLue goLd of the third MiLLenniuM". hOW dOES IT WORk? At the start, the water is underground … this underground water is channelled into collection points. In Morzine the main collection points are in the Vallée de la Manche and at Meuniers. In the Vallée de la Manche there are 4 collection points and one well in use at Erigné (15 metres deep) as well as another that is currently being built at La Mouille where the water is drawn from a depth of 27 metres. There are no water shortages in Morzine but this latest project was launched to prepare for the town's future needs. The water is allowed to settle, filtered and then stored in a reservoir. There are 13 reservoirs in Morzine scattered around the municipality, ranging from the smallest at 30 cubic metres to the largest reserve of 3 000 cubic metres which is located at Meuniers. This reserve is actually divided into 3 reservoirs, one of which is allocated to the Lyonnaise des Eaux who pump out the water needed to supply Avoriaz. It's important to know that Avoriaz is an urban zone that is treated as a single customer. From the reservoir the water is dispatched to the customer’s houses via a network of pipes. 4 WATER QuALITy Throughout this journey, from the collection point to the network, the water is treated to make it drinkable. In Morzine a colourless and odourless uV treatment (ultra-violet rays with a bactericide effect) was preferred over the classic chlorination method. Any water that comes out of a tap must comply with standards set by the Agence Régionale de santé (Regional Health Agency – the analysis results are regularly displayed at the Town Hall and can be viewed on the website). Since the 14th May 2004 the Morzine Water Department has been certified ISO9001, which guarantees the services offered to the 3371 clients in Morzine (not counting Avoriaz) as well as the supply of drinking water in sufficient quality and quantity. In 2004 Morzine was one of the first towns in France to obtain this certification! L'arrivée de L'eau, depuis Le captage At the time it was Paul Boucher (former Director of Technical Services) jusqu'au réservoir who instigated the process. As with any certification there is an annual audit and a reassessment every 3 years. The last one having taken place in 2013, Morzine will have to go through the full certification process with an authorised centre in 2016. RENOvATION Of ThE NETWORk The drinking water network is very old as the oldest pipes date back to 1934! The network is also extremely vast as it has to supply all its customers: 72 kms! Taking into account that the renovation of a standpipe costs around 350 000€, it is clearly understandable that a programme to replace pipes step by step over several years was necessary. This programme started in 2004 and to date 17 kms have been renewed. Once again quality was of the utmost importance. The old grey cast iron standpipes (with no interior coating) were replaced with wider standpipes made with a better material: ductile cast iron. This has several advantages: it withstands greater mechanical loads with better resistance to shocks and better elasticity than grey cast iron and guarantees complete drinkability as opposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. LET'S SAvE WATER IN OuR dAILy hAbITS Whilst it is a natural resource water is also a finite resource: today drinkable water is rarer and rarer and is becoming a strategic issue in certain regions throughout the world, but also for us in mountainous regions. Since the 2003 drought, and despite what seems to us like periods of heavy rain, the water table in our region has struggled to return to former levels. Our water resources therefore remain strained. 5 PRICE Of WATER IN mORzINE In France, the price* of water varies depending on the town. According to consumer magazine "60 millions de consommateurs" (issue of the 20 th March 2015) the price is 1.50€ per cubic metre in Antibes and 5.17€ in Evreux! The average price is around 3.50€. In morzine the price of water is 3.21€ before tax. And in the other towns in the valley (prices before tax)? WATER, A COmmuNITy SERvICE • Le Biot: 5.54€ in the village and 6.54€ at the ski station In Morzine the water supply is run by the town: the • Montriond: 3.86€ water department's staff of 4, directed by Guy • Les Gets: 5.52€ Marullaz, is in charge of supervising the sources and • La Baume: 2.81€ the collection points, the maintenance of the network • La Vernaz: 3.80€ and the smaller repair work. Private companies are • La Forclaz: 3.81€ called upon for bigger work. In Avoriaz however, • Saint Jean d'Aulps: 3.03€ drinking water is managed by • Seytroux: 4.08€ “Lyonnaise des Eaux”. • La Côte d'Arbroz: 3.28€ • Essert-Roman: 3.77€ • In Avoriaz the price of water includes the town's costs and the Lyonnaise des Eaux costs. Price of water established on the basis of a home of 4 people using 120 CONSumPTION IN mORzINE cubic metres per year, cost of the water + treatment + subscription + tax. the price differences can be explained by several things: large In France, the average consumption per home (4 people) is around 120 investments (anew treatment centre for example), the difference in the cubic metres per year. In Morzine these figures are increasing, a subscription price, different tariffs according to consumption, the phenomenon which is easy to explain because of tourist activity, be it number of customers … holidaymakers (taking a bath after a day on the piste), business (including jacuzzis and pools in the hotels) or the town itself as Morzine is the biggest WATER TREATmENT: consumer with, amongst other things, the Aquatic Centre.