A Garden for Clean Water

A very unusual garden was inaugurated on our site on 1 September 2017. The purpose of this “garden of filters” is to naturally treat the Cooperative’s rinse water. Its size and the natural ecosystem it recreates make it the only one of its kind in Europe within the wine industry:

• 0 chemical inputs
• Volume treated equivalent to that of a town of 12,000 inhabitants
• At 5,000 m², the largest natural water treatment eco-system in Europe in the wine industry
• The rinse water is treated solely by the action of 30 different local and non- invasive plants

How does it work?

The rinse water is treated only by the action of local, non-invasive plants. This makes this facility a rich, wetland-type ecosystem. Based on the principle of biomimicry, this natural water treatment eco-system is inspired by nature.

The water is purified by natural processes resulting from the interactions between microorganisms, plants and soil. The water is filtered naturally, in different stages, by the 30 plant species planted, in order to gradually remove the impurities over the course of the water.

Blocks of stone for the frogs!

The blocks of stone laid out along the paths and arranged around the final pond come from the neighbouring quarry. The planning of the pond and the riprap was carried out in collaboration with Sepanlog, an approved nature protection association, in order to promote biodiversity in this wetland. Frogs, lizards, etc can find themselves a home here.

Les Vignerons de Buzet and Sepanlog have been working together on preserving and enriching the biodiversity on the Cooperative’s site and within its 1,870 hectares of vineyards for nearly 10 years.

What happens to the clean water at the end of the process?

At the end of the process, the clean water is returned to the natural environment. The quality of the water is, of course, subject to monitoring and tests. Current regulations do not allow Les Vignerons de Buzet to reintroduce this clean water into their production system.

The Cooperative has set itself the goal of energy and water self-sufficiency within a decade. This project, which is the result of 2 years of study and 1 year of construction by the Blue Set company, is a continuation of the Cooperative's overall and systemic approach to sustainable development, both in the vineyards and on its site.