Written by This Saturday, August 16, 2025 at SIX SENSES, we’ll be talking about water. Florian Vuistiner, Head of Technical Services and Town and Country Planning for the Commune of Lens, will tell us all about it, from the source to the bill, from the tap to the works.
Register now! (Valpic website, “Agenda” page)
Water management was overhauled 3 years ago, causing a few surprises in the amounts billed. Who benefits and who loses out? What are the reasons for the difference in figures from one commune to another? What is the future of what flows from our taps, and at what price?
Water management and, above all, water distribution have always been a vital concern in the mountains, far removed from the conditions of towns that are essentially nestled on the banks of a river. The bisses (Sillonin 1368, Rô around 1450 and Grand Bisse -le Rioutaz- before 1450) gradually encouraged permanent settlement on Mont de Lens (today’s Haut-plateau), between the Lienne to the west and the Raspille to the east. Water rights, consortages, communiers – water rights were fought over, including in a famous battle between Ayent and Lens, where the Ayentot hercule was defeated by a puny Lens communier by tipping him over his lentane (flexible rod), thus gaining a water intake on the Lienne.
Today, the battle for water is about its availability and price, so that our mountain properties are never deprived of it. This is obvious, and will certainly become clearer with the explanations that will be given to us at Valpic on Saturday.
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Les SIX SENSES – optional on-site dinner at the Wild Cabin (bookable via Valpic)