Annual Impact Reports & Territorial Audits

Public Interest Accountability

Measuring Civic Impact Beyond Financial Metrics

As an approved public-benefit association (Association Loi 1901, RNA W282000883, SIREN 328 163 688), the Comité Départemental de Canoë-Kayak d'Eure-et-Loir measures institutional success not by commercial revenues, but by the tangible environmental and social dividends delivered to our local territory.

Each year, our technical directors, volunteer coordinators, and independent accounting auditors synthesize all operational data into an exhaustive Annual Public Interest Evaluation Report. This open document is presented democratically to our General Assembly, deposited with the Prefecture of Eure-et-Loir, and transmitted to our funding partners, including the Departmental Council and the French Water Agencies.

"All membership fees and dues are fully reinvested in the association's public interest missions. Every public euro entrusted to CDCK28 directly safeguards local riverbeds and provides inclusive aquatic safety for rural youth."

Key Annual Performance Indicators (2025–2026 Cycle)

Our territorial evaluation framework tracks twelve rigorous impact metrics divided across three operational dimensions: environmental conservation, educational safety, and civic solidarity:

Territorial Ecological Audit: State of the Watercourses

Our citizen hydrology monitoring team operates ten permanent observation stations along the river valleys of Eure-et-Loir. The 2025–2026 ecological audit highlights several critical findings:

1. Benthic Biodiversity and Water Oxygenation

Sampling along the middle reaches of the Eure between Courville-sur-Eure and Saint-Prest revealed stable Biological Water Quality Indices (IBGN). Sensitive macro-invertebrate taxa, including Heptageniidae mayflies and Hydropsychidae caddisflies, remain well-represented in gravelly riffles, confirming satisfactory oxygenation levels during winter and spring.

However, on lower canalized sections near industrial outskirts, summer oxygen concentrations dropped below 5.5 mg/L during the July heat peak. In response, CDCK28 submitted a formal advisory to the intercommunal river syndicate recommending the creation of artificial flow concentrators and gravel shoals to naturally re-aerate the water column.

2. Invasive Flora Progression and Bank Stability

The audit noted an alarming 12% expansion of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) colonies along the Loir near Châteaudun. Because knotweed roots do not anchor soil effectively, these infested banks suffer accelerated collapse during autumn flash floods. CDCK28 paddlers mapped 42 distinct infestation sites using georeferenced photographs, assisting municipal maintenance teams in prioritizing eradication efforts without using toxic chemical herbicides.

3. Plastic Waste Composition Analysis

Of the 3.2 tons of solid waste extracted during our seasonal cleanups, detailed sorting conducted with SITREVA waste facilities revealed that 54% consisted of single-use consumer plastics (polyethylene bottles, snack packaging), 26% consisted of historical agricultural mulch film and chemical containers, and 20% comprised bulky scrap metal and abandoned tires. This data has been integrated into educational exhibits shown to primary school students to emphasize the direct connection between daily plastic consumption and river pollution.

Social and Civic Return on Investment (SROI)

To evaluate the broader societal benefit of public sports and conservation funding, CDCK28 applies the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodological framework. By measuring the economic value of volunteer hours, averted youth drowning risks, subsidized health benefits of outdoor cardiovascular exercise, and avoided municipal river dredging costs, our 2025 analysis demonstrates that:

For every €1.00 of public subsidy grant allocated to CDCK28 by the Departmental Council of Eure-et-Loir, our association generates an estimated €4.35 in direct civic, environmental, and public health value.

This high multiplier effect proves the extraordinary cost-effectiveness of our voluntary, non-profit operational model. By channeling resources directly into youth safety, volunteer training, and community environmental vigilance, we deliver enduring value that commercial private enterprises cannot replicate.

Longitudinal 5-Year Trends in Eure-et-Loir River Health (2021–2026)

By consolidating half a decade of standardized citizen science monitoring, CDCK28 provides an invaluable longitudinal perspective on our department's aquatic environment:

• Gradual Decline in Nitrate Spikes: Following stricter territorial agricultural buffer regulations implemented across the Beauce basin, average summer nitrate concentrations along the Eure between Saint-Georges-sur-Eure and Maintenon have decreased by 14% since 2021, leading to a noticeable reduction in suffocating green filamentous algal blooms.
• Thermal Vulnerability During Heatwaves: In contrast, peak summer water temperatures have risen by an average of 1.2°C over the five-year period, with shallow, unshaded river sections frequently exceeding 22°C in late July. This thermal stress threatens salmonid populations and emphasizes the vital necessity of preserving dense riparian canopy trees like alders and willows.
• Macro-Invertebrate Resurgence: In river sections where local fishing associations and our eco-patrols have removed artificial obstacles and restored natural gravel riffles, benthic invertebrate diversity has rebounded by 26%, providing abundant sustenance for wild trout and native water birds.

Comparative Three-Year Financial Transparency Summary

In conformity with statutory non-profit transparency, the comparative table below details the committee's operating budgets over the past three fiscal years, highlighting complete reinvestment and absence of commercial indebtedness:

Policy Recommendations Submitted to Territorial Authorities

Drawing from our comprehensive field observations, CDCK28 has submitted three formal policy recommendations to the Departmental Council of Eure-et-Loir and regional river management syndicates:

1. Accelerate Riparian Reforestation: Plant continuous native alder and willow canopies along exposed canalized river banks to shade the water column and mitigate lethal summer temperature spikes.
2. Modernize Mill Weirs with Nature-Like Fish Passes: Prioritize the installation of rock-ramp bypass channels at historic weirs to allow native fish species to reach cool upstream spawning headwaters during low-water periods.
3. Establish Public Canoe-Kayak Eco-Docks: Replace degraded, eroding dirt launch spots with non-invasive wooden eco-docks fitted with anti-erosion coir logs, eliminating bank degradation while ensuring safe accessibility for school groups and disabled paddlers.

Carbon Footprint and Eco-Responsibility Audit

In alignment with national climate transition goals, CDCK28 conducts an annual greenhouse gas inventory of all departmental operations. Because paddle sports rely solely on human muscular propulsion without combustion engines, our on-water carbon emissions are strictly zero.

Our primary emissions stem from equipment logistics: towing boat trailers between Francourville and rural activity sites. To minimize transport emissions, CDCK28 implemented three decisive protocols in 2025:

• Decentralized Equipment Hubs: Storing boats permanently at five partner club boathouses across the department, reducing inter-valley road transit by 38%.
• Carpooling Mandate: Coordinating group volunteer transport through a dedicated non-commercial rideshare platform for all river cleanup events.
• Equipment Longevity Strategy: Purchasing high-grade, repairable polyethylene boats manufactured in France with an expected lifespan of 20+ years, avoiding the frequent replacement cycles common in cheap commercial imports.