Spa, 11 June 2025 – Spa Monopole and the Parc naturel des Sources, which covers the municipalities of Spa and Stoumont, have just signed a new agreement for a five-year period. Under this agreement, Spa Monopole will grant €750,000 in financing to the Parc naturel des Sources to implement various initiatives related to “regenerative hydrology”. The key aim of this strategy to restore the water cycle is to promote biodiversity and, above all, to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems in the face of climate change. Four years after the disastrous floods that hit Wallonia in the summer of 2021, this type of project is clearly of the utmost importance.
For nearly ten years, the Spadel Group has supported the Parc naturel des Sources, of which it is one of the founding members. Today, these two partners are further developing their cooperation with the signing of a new agreement. Over the next five years, they will allocate €750,000 to foster their endeavours in regenerative hydrology in the Parc naturel des Sources, where the protection areas of the Spa Monopole catchment sites are located.
Having already carried out similar work on the former Ferme de Malchamps, their objective is to restore the water cycle on other plots in the Spa region, in particular those in Bronromme, Neubois and Pré aux Cerfs. In practical terms, when we talk about regenerative hydrology, it mainly covers the following areas of development:
• Restoring existing wetlands to improve flood regulation and increase areas conducive to water retention, infiltration and filtration.
• Creating wetland habitats that benefit the hydrological balance and biodiversity.
• Restoring soil water retention capacity in and out of wetlands, reducing run-off by improving soil structure and cultivating plant cover.
• Implementing facilities to allow water to be retained upstream rather than evacuated downstream as quickly as possible.
As a result of these various initiatives, the managers of Spadel and Parc naturel des Sources expect to generate a positive impact on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through the restoration of natural habitats and the creation of biological corridors. They also expect an increase in climate resilience by adapting water management practices to the consequences of climate change, such as droughts and floods, in line with the strategic plan for the Vesdre basin.
“This new agreement signed between Spa Monopole and the Parc naturel des Sources will allow us to continue the essential work that has been ongoing for several years”, says Valérie Dumoulin, the Director of the Parc naturel des Sources. “Thanks to the financial support of the Spadel Group, we will be able to increase the sponge function of soils by trying to keep water in the plots for as long as possible. We will start with the Neubois plot and other areas will follow over the next five years”.
Objective: to slow the water flow rate
“The aim of regenerative hydrology is to prevent water from running too quickly in order to allow better infiltration into the soil, which makes it possible to fight both droughts and floods”, explains Arnaud Collignon, Water and Environment Manager at Spa Monopole. “In collaboration with the Parc naturel des Sources, we will implement a whole series of initiatives to slow the water flow rate, for example by meandering watercourses or by creating dams and storm water basins. This regenerative hydrology project is good for nature, biodiversity and Spadel as it will improve the water cycle in our catchment areas”.
The financial assistance provided by Spa Monopole to the Parc naturel des Sources is part of the Spadel Group’s commitment to being a positive-impact company, which has been B Corp certified since 2022. This includes supporting the local community and economic fabric in each of the countries where the Group operates. Moreover, it includes a commitment to donate at least 5% of the company’s profits each year to local partnerships and local solidarity initiatives.
The Spadel Group is recognised as a major benchmark in Europe for the sustainable management of natural resources. The preservation and protection of natural mineral water is the beating heart of the company’s activity. Spadel and Spa Monopole have always respected and protected natural resources and their environment in order to offer consumers mineral water of unparalleled quality.