The founder of the extreme music festival, Ben Barbaud, is lobbying the Loire-Atlantique commune for financial assistance to carry out sanitation work on the event site.
“ We need political courage, or we’ll end up packing our bags and moving to a more grateful territory. “says Ben Barbaud. The director of Hellfest is expressing its anger at the Clisson Sèvre et Maine agglomeration, where the festival site is located. The point of contention is the major sewage works to be carried out on the festival site. And in his opinion, the agglomeration should contribute to this, arguing that the festival is a success and that it has a significant economic impact on the region.
“ We’d just like to have something better than a sewage system designed for a village of five houses. Is this too much to ask for France’s biggest contemporary music festival, voted the most emblematic event in the Pays de la Loire region? ? “the boss of the extreme music festival grumbles to the newspaper Ouest France . Since this year, local residents near the festival have been spared the unpleasant odors of wastewater, thanks to a new system for routing it to the wastewater treatment plant. “ Work is underway to bring its effluent retention facilities up to standard until effluent is released into the collective network. “explained Denis Thibaud, in charge of sanitation at Clisson Sèvre et Maine Agglo, in September.
The festival’s annual budget for wastewater management amounts to “ several hundred thousand euros “emphasizes Ben Barbaud. “ We’re enlarging our buffer tanks, installing lift pumps and guillotines, and financing sensors to measure hydrogen sulfide levels. “continues the Hellfest founder and boss. However, the connection of wastewater to the public sewer system is still not sufficient. “ The existing network, managed by the agglomeration, is clearly undersized to support the effluent loads imposed by such an event. “, he says. The wastewater treatment plant is designed for 25,000 inhabitants. As for the event itself, it welcomes almost 60,000 festival-goers daily (240,000 visitors over four days for the 2024 edition). The subject is a bone of contention between the elected representatives and the festival.
” For Disneyland, we’re building a freeway. For Puy du Fou, a train station.”
Ben Barbaud, Hellfest boss.
Ben Barbaud raises his voice: “ We’ve already invested a lot. We’ll continue to do so, provided it’s a win-win situation. This is the 18the largest tax contributor in Loire-Atlantique “. The Hellfest director is now asking the Clisson Sèvre et Maine agglomeration to contribute to the costs, under threat of relocating the festival. “ For Disneyland we’re building a freeway. For the Puy du Fou a train station “he adds. For its part, the agglomeration is not budging. : “ We have nothing against Hellfest All companies are in the same boat “Denis Thibaud replied. It now remains to be seen who will win this tug-of-war…