Water Planning and Management Schemes (SAGE) - whole France

The Water Management Scheme (SAGE) is a planning tool, established by the Water Act of 1992, aimed at the balanced and sustainable management of water resources.

Declination of SDAGE on a more local scale, it aims to reconcile the satisfaction and development of different uses (drinking water, industry, agriculture, ...) and the protection of aquatic environments, taking into account the specificities of a territory. Delimited according to natural criteria, it concerns a watershed or a water table. It is based on a voluntary approach of consultation with local actors.

It is an essential instrument for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). As such, 68 SAGEs were identified as necessary by the SDAGEs approved in 2009 (period 2010-2015) and 62 SAGEs were identified as necessary by the SDAGEs approved in 2015 (period 2016-2021) to comply with the fundamental orientations and objectives set by the WFD.