Redeveloped and embellished by waterfalls and a small canal, the former water production site (top right, the washhouse in the mid-19th century and one of the labels affixed to the bottles) has been transformed into a promenade .
Beyond the historical aspect, we return a quality green space to the population.
This will become a place for gathering, walking and conviviality.
It's nature in the middle of the city! This shows that Montigny is a green city.
We need breathing space in modern cities. »
This inauguration also marks the end of a saga that began in the 2000s. At the time, the mayor, Robert Hue, began a long legal battle to recover the plot comprising the source and the old bottling plant.
Because the water of Montigny-lès-Cormeilles had its hour of glory. At its peak in 1964, production reached 9 million bottles of still or sparkling water per year with the slogan “Drinking Montigny water means prolonging your life”. But in 1985, there were only 4 million bottles left and the factory closed its doors in 1993. After a troubled period when the dealership changed ownership several times, the city ended up buying the site from Nestlé. Waters for a symbolic euro in 2009. Robert Hue then intends to exploit the source again. He announces that he is going to return it to the population by creating a fountain where residents can drink for free.
The source actually comes from the same groundwater as Franconville water marketed under the Cristaline brand until the closure of the production plant in 2012. But the municipality had to revise its copy. The draconian standards regarding the composition of water make it unfit for consumption. “Part of the water resurgence will be used by municipal staff for watering green spaces and residents will also be able to use it for this purpose using a hand pump,” explains Jean-Noël Carpenter.