The water tower

In Mont-Cauvaire, the landscape tells of a centuries-old struggle against geology. Perched on a narrow spur reaching 175 metres, between the Cailly and Clérette valleys, the village occupies a ridgeline where water is, by nature, an elusive resource.

A Changing Landscape: From Grain to Grass The local terroir undergoes significant metamorphoses over the centuries. Long dominated by the three-field system (wheat, oats, and clover), the plateau sees its crops recede in favour of planted pastureland. This shift occurs in two stages: around 1870 near Le Fossé, and then between 1895 and 1900 in the hamlet of Le Mesnil, under the impetus of large landowners like Mr Badin.

Today, the landscape changes once more. Apple orchards, once emblematic of the region, are gradually vanishing. Faced with poor fruit sales, farmers proceed with the uprooting of trees, transforming old Norman enclosures into bare grazing land for the cattle herd, which now counts nearly 700 head compared to fewer than 200 in the 19th century.

The Quest for Water: From the Sky to Deep Boreholes On this dry plateau, hydrology is paramount. For centuries, survival depends on ponds (mares), dug to collect rainwater. Every farm has its own, maintained by "scourers" (cureux). However, with the appearance of slate roofs, cisterns gradually replace the ponds. In 1940, there are approximately 80 cisterns, while the ponds disappear or dry up.

Attempts to find water at depth remain unsuccessful or precarious for a long time. The Collège de Normandie attempts an audacious borehole down to 240 metres in 1902, but has to abandon it in 1921 due to insufficient flow. For decades, farmers have no choice but to organise exhausting horse-drawn water transports from Tendos to water their livestock.

The Tap-Water Revolution The true turning point occurs after the Second World War. In 1956, the creation of an inter-municipal syndicate finally allows for an effective borehole at Grand-Tendos. This well, 141 metres deep, taps into a stable aquifer capable of providing nearly 300 m³ per day. Mont-Cauvaire receives running water between 1958 and 1960, ending centuries of dependence on the whims of the sky.

This technical progress completes the village's transformation: from the ancient forested plateau of "Sylveison" to modern livestock farming land, Mont-Cauvaire has tamed its topography to secure its future.