Victim of repeated heatwaves and persistent drought, the small town of Venarey-les-Laumes (Côte-d'Or) finds itself in great difficulty. On October 28, the mayor alerted the population of upcoming water cuts. Problem is, the municipality is also responsible for the water supply to Mussy-la-Fosse and Ménétreux-le-Pitois.
“In one year, our two historic water resources have deteriorated considerably,” warns Stéphane Fournier in a video published on Facebook. On October 28, the mayor (Place Publique) of Venarey-les-Laumes (Côte-d'Or) warned its residents: "the situation is serious."
From 5.50 meters of water to 80 centimeters
And for good reason: the town has two wells fed by a groundwater table supposed to supply the town with drinking water. But over the months, both resources dried up. As of October 19, 2025, the water level in the two wells reached 5.50 meters. A year later, there is only 80 cm left in one and nothing in the other.
Several solutions but one inevitable outcome
Venarey-les-Laumes has been in difficulty since February 2026. So to compensate, the mayor had a third well left abandoned until then rehabilitated a few weeks ago. A practical solution since the device was already connected to the municipality, but its performance is still insufficient.
“In times of drought it still gives around 180 m3 per day, which is far from enough to supply our town of 2,750 inhabitants, but in any case, it is an additional contribution,” puts Stéphane Fournier into perspective. But despite this third well, the municipality was forced to call on a tanker truck.
For more than 15 days, drinking water has been delivered from Semur-en-Auxois and Montbard. One delivery represents 150 m3 and costs the municipality almost 1,000 euros. "150 m3 of tankage, plus 180 m3 of the third well, added to what we still pump a little, we are still managing to keep the machine going for the moment. But we won't make it through the month," regrets the elected official.
“It’s unheard of but we continue to trust Venarey”
Conditions which for the moment do not worry Denis Charlot, mayor (without label) of Mussy-la-Fosse. Normally, the village draws its water from a nearby spring, but since June 15, the latter has almost dried up.
“The situation in Venarey-les-Laumes worries us, but hey, we have 48 homes so we don’t consume much,” explains the elected official. For a week, this small town uses between 50 and 60 m3 of water.
In addition to the help of its neighbor, Mussy-la-Fosse still manages to pump 6 m3 of water per day from its source. Enough to escape the tap turning off for the moment.
For its part, no backup plan for Ménétreux-le-Pitois. The commune of 400 souls has no source. It has therefore been dependent on Venarey-les-Laumes for several years.
Despite the threat of a water cut, the mayor (without label), Yvon Fiorucci, is not considering additional solutions. “It’s unheard of but we continue to trust Venarey and we’ll see how things go in the years to come. Afterwards, we won’t have many solutions,” admits the mayor.
Residents urged to save their water
The only implementation at the moment is that of mail slipped into mailboxes. Inside, the municipality asks the population to space out their showers or to use a machine only when the drum is full.
Efforts that seem to be paying off. The town has two water meters. According to the mayor, the first went from 140 m3 to 120 m3 per week. The second showed 450 m3 per week, now it shows 420 m3.
Made aware of the critical situation in Venarey-les-Laumes, certain municipalities such as Baigneux-les-Juifs (Côte-d'Or) have already offered their help. A meeting on the subject should soon be held with the Regional Health Agency.
