From groundwater to reclaimed water: Since July 8, the Evian Golf Resort has been completely self-sufficient when it comes to water management. Through a partnership with Danone’s Evian bottling plant, treated industrial water is pumped via a five-kilometer pipeline to the Golf Academy and the golf resort, where it is used for irrigation. “We made this decision 18 months ago,” explains Franck Riboud, Honorary President of the Danone Group, which also owns the Evian Golf Resort. “We wanted freedom, and now we have it.” When Riboud speaks of freedom, he is referring to the increasingly strict French regulations governing the use of groundwater for irrigating sports fields. By installing a completely closed-loop system—which ensures full self-sufficiency for the golf courses—the golf club is no longer dependent on government regulations.
The overall project is called “REUT” (Réutilisation des Eaux Usées Traitées). It follows a simple principle at the Evian plant: reduce, optimise, then reuse. Since 2008, industrial water consumption at the Evian plant has already been reduced by nearly 50%. To achieve this, the plant modernized its piping and infrastructure to limit water loss from leaks. In addition, real-time data and precise mapping of water meters help ensure optimal control. Employee engagement is also paying off: At their suggestion, automatic water triggers in certain areas were replaced with foot pedals to further reduce water consumption. The plant’s green spaces are watered exclusively at night—using rainwater collected from the roofs.
For the golf club, this means that the new water recovery system now directly benefits the golf resort, whose ponds are no longer filled with groundwater. However, this forward-looking water management system involves not only the use of industrial water but also the targeted collection of rainwater and drainage water, which is also directed into the ponds. In addition, the irrigation system has been extensively modernised.
Instead of watering according to a rigid schedule, the Evian Resort now relies on precision based on actual needs: The installation of its own weather station and special soil probes enables the greenkeepers to adjust the water supply precisely to the soil’s actual needs. Every drop is carefully calculated to avoid any kind of waste.
Overseeding Program and More Mechanical Maintenance
As early as 2020, the resort also began overseeding the academy grounds with more resilient and less water-intensive grasses. For nearly five years now, this reseeding program has also been implemented on the main course. The goal of this initiative is to specifically promote species that are better able to withstand climatic challenges, while maintaining a high quality of play for golfers.
In addition, the greenkeeping team has significantly stepped up the mechanical maintenance of the golf courses. They focus on regular, preventive maintenance such as aeration, drainage, sanding, and dethatching. This allows the soil to absorb moisture more effectively, which ultimately reduces water consumption and also ensures consistently high course quality.
At first glance, nothing has changed for the participants in the Amundi Evian Championship since 2025. The ponds look the same as they used to, and the quality of the playing surfaces remains first-rate. When it comes to water management, however, the resort has made a 180-degree shift toward self-sufficiency and resilience. Water scarcity has no longer been an issue for the Evian Resort since July 8.
