Why water bills in France are set to rise
Part of the bill that pays for water cleaning and treatment is set to increase
Wastewater must now be cleaned of phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as being treated for micropollutants, raising costs
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Water bills in France are set to rise as a result of new anti-pollution requirements that are expected to cost more than €10billion.
This cost is expected to be partially covered by end users.
Water treatment in France is already partly covered by users, accounting on average for more than half of an annual water bill. For example, the average household pays €562 per year of which €285 goes towards water cleaning and treatment, Ouest France has calculated.
This is expected to rise as a result of the new European directive, dubbed ‘la DERU (la directive eaux résiduaires urbaines)’, which requires new anti-pollution and cleaning measures from water companies.
The directive has to be implemented by July 31, 2027, and will represent €10billion in investment by 2045, national water treatment company union le Syndicat national des entreprises du traitement de l’eau (Synteau) has calculated, reports Ouest France.
Wastewater cleaning
Wastewater will now need to be cleaned of phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as being treated for micropollutants (e.g. drug and cosmetic product residue). Companies will also be required to provide better solutions for reservoir overflow after major rainfall, and are being encouraged to achieve energy neutrality at their treatment plants.
The reform will affect 1,225 treatment plants across France (all those that treat water for 10,000 people or more), representing 80% of wastewater treated nationwide, Synteau states.
User costs
Up to 40% of the cost will be covered by cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies as their products are one of the water’s major pollutants. This leaves 60% to be covered by users over the next 20 years.
“The part [of a water bill] dedicated to cleaning has increased steadily over the past few years,” said Philippe Carrio, president of Synteau to Ouest France.
He estimates that water bills for users will rise by a few percentage points to cover costs, but has warned legislators to “anticipate the works as much as possible” to spread out the increase and avoid a ‘tsunami effect’ of a sudden rise in future years.
It comes after water companies including Suez and Veolia have already warned of increased prices in imminent years, as people use less and less of what is increasingly seen as a scarce and precious resource amid continued drought.
In early 2025, the most recent figures (from 2022) showed that the average price of tap water in France was increasing by eight cents per cubic metre per year, including tax.
This compares to increases of four cents per cubic metre per year for the time period of 2010-2021, said public water and sanitation agency l’Observatoire des services publics d’eau et d’assainissement (SPEA).
