French-Swiss Cooperation to Build, Operate and Maintain a Cross-border Sewage TunnelThe Canton and Republic of Geneva, Switzerland and the Community of municipalities of the Gex territory (CCPG) in France teamed up to set up the GLCT Choully (GLCT stands for Groupement Local de Coopération Transfrontalière in French), a local venture for cross-border cooperation in charge of the construction, operation and maintenance of a waste water tunnel under Choully Hill, between the French border and the existing Geneva sewage system.The GLCT is an important innovation in terms of cross-border cooperation. Indeed, it will be possible to develop on the Swiss territory a project built and financed by France. The signature of this partnership is also a symbol since it is the first such cooperation between Geneva and its French bordering region.A 2.7 km-long, 80 m-deep tunnel must be constructed under Geneva's Choully Hill. The new tunnel will carry waste waters from the central part of the Gex territory to Switzerland. Then, they will be treated in the future waste water treatment works in Bois-de-Bay, which will be constructed on the Geneva side, with the Rhone river as outlet. Two waste water treatment works, one in Journans and the other in Allondan, both in the Gex territory, will be dismantled. The two facilities currently discharge partially untreated waters into the surrounding nature. The new waste water sewer tunnel connected to the Swiss sewage system will put an end to this situation.The storage capacity of about 12,000 cubic metres will allow rain waters from Meyrin and the Gex terrirory to be captured. In addition, the tunnel will be used by Geneva for the possible connection of future pieces of its sewage system or for ancillary activities like energy and telecom lines, etc.This approx. EUR20 million project will mainly be financed by the Community of municipalities of the Gex territory. The Canton of Geneva will contribute up to CHF3 million in compensation for the associated use of the tunnel. Maintenance and operation costs of the tunnel will be fully covered by the Community of municipalities of the Gex territory.Once the tunnel is in operation, the treatment of waste waters from the French sewage system by the Swiss waste water treatment plant will be part of a separate agreement. The practice in the matter is that the country that purifies the waters charges the country that sends its unteated waters. Click fr/70. Visit www.csmbessac.com, www.implenia.com and www.glct-choully.com 29/07.