We have chosen to give back up to 12,000 litres of water a day to our local environment
Closing a swimming pool at a campsite may seem surprising.
At a time when many campsites are looking to offer more and more facilities, we have decided to take a different approach.
At Camping du Mettey, we asked ourselves one simple question:
Do we really need to use so much water for swimming when this precious resource is becoming increasingly important to our local area?
Our answer is no.
Here in the Vosges, water can no longer be taken for granted
Climate change is no longer a distant concern.
We can see its effects all around us.
Farmers are struggling to find enough water for their animals.
Market gardeners may face watering restrictions, even though they need water to grow the vegetables we eat.
During periods of water shortage, Gérardmer may need to draw water from its lake to help meet the needs of the local population.
And when our forests become dry and wildfires threaten, our firefighters need water too.
All of this has led us to reconsider our own water consumption.
Up to 12,000 litres of water a day
During periods of intense heat, a significant amount of water evaporates from our large swimming pool.
Add to this the water lost through splashing, swimmers getting in and out, and the various requirements of running the pool.
At the height of the season, approximately 10 to 12 cubic metres of water may be needed every day simply to maintain its water level.
That’s 10,000 to 12,000 litres of water every single day.
And suddenly, behind those cubic metres, we see thousands of litres of a precious resource whose value becomes clearer to us every year.
So we made a decision.
We believe that this water can now serve a better purpose elsewhere than in our large swimming pool.
We’re not simply closing a pool. We’re giving it a new life.
The large pool will not be abandoned.
Quite the opposite.
We will gradually transform it into a natural pond dedicated to biodiversity.
Aquatic plants will slowly replace the familiar surroundings of the swimming pool.
Dragonflies, insects, birds, amphibians and other small creatures will find a new place to shelter.
A place once dedicated to swimming will become a place full of life.
A place to observe nature.
A place to explore with children.
A place to discover that nature is not just the backdrop to our holidays: it is an essential part of them.
The children’s paddling pool will remain open
Of course, we still want our youngest guests to enjoy the pleasures of water.
The paddling pool will therefore remain open, allowing children to continue playing and cooling off during their holidays.
This is not about taking away life’s little pleasures.
It’s about finding the right balance between enjoyment and responsibility.
And for those who love swimming, there are plenty of wonderful alternatives nearby!
You can enjoy swimming at Lac de Saulxures-sur-Moselotte (10 minutes by car), or head to the lake and swimming pool in Gérardmer (15 minutes by car). The swimming pool in Remiremont is also just a 10-minute drive away.
You can also cool off at the beautiful Cascade du Bouchot, one of the most stunning waterfalls in the Vosges, only 3 minutes away by car.
This is also what the spirit of Le Mettey is all about
We could have kept the large swimming pool simply because it is a facility many people expect to find at a campsite.
Instead, we chose to stay true to the values we have stood for over the years: nature, sharing, simplicity, responsibility and respect for our local environment.
We don’t just want to talk about sustainability in a brochure.
We want to put it into practice.
Even when it means questioning our habits.
Even when it means doing things differently.
So yes, at Le Mettey, there will now be one less large swimming pool.
But there will also be thousands of litres of water saved, a new space dedicated to biodiversity and, we hope, a few more dragonflies.
And
