Communauté de communes Vallée de l’Hérault

What Communauté de communes Vallée de l’Hérault does

Communauté de communes Vallée de l'Hérault (CCVH) is a French public intercommunal cooperation body (établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) headquartered in Gignac, Hérault, France, delivering mandatory and discretionary public services across 28 member communes. Its operational scope spans drinking-water production and distribution, wastewater and sanitation (operated through an in-house régie, the Service des Eaux Vallée de l'Hérault, SIRET 24340069400143), household-waste collection, tourism, cultural programming (Argileum pottery museum, Ancienne Abbaye d'Aniane, Maison du Grand Site de France), intercommunal music school and library networks, early-childhood services, youth/sport/parental support, mobility, economic development, and heritage preservation. CCVH co-manages the Grand Site de France "Gorges de l'Hérault – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert," one of only 21 such nationally labeled sites in France, renewed on 22 August 2025 for 8 years with the perimeter extended from 10 to 18 communes.

The digital platform underpinning service delivery is a multi-site WordPress-based ecosystem: the institutional site cc-vallee-herault.fr, the dedicated water-service portal at servicedeseaux.cc-vallee-herault.fr, and a self-serve subscriber account portal at abonnes.eau.cc-vallee-herault.fr. The infrastructure is hosted on sovereign French data centers (LWS / LiteSpeed cache), uses Matomo for CNIL-compliant analytics, Complianz for cookie consent, and is declared 100% RGESN-ecodesign compliant and 82% RGAA 4.1.2 accessibility compliant (audited by Inovagora on 3 November 2025). Specialized physical and operational assets include the Combe Salinière drinking-water treatment plant in Gignac, the Rudy Ricciotti-designed Maison du Grand Site at Pont du Diable, an asbestos-aware pipe-renewal methodology, and a summer security/mediation device at Pont du Diable that coordinates eco-guards, Hérault Transport mediators, municipal police, Gendarmerie, and SDIS lifeguards.

CCVH's revenue model is multi-stream and structurally public: intercommunal fiscal resources (contribution économique territoriale and other local taxes transferred by the 28 member communes), État/Région/Département/Europe grants (typical co-financing rates of 57-78% on capital projects), water-and-sanitation régie tariffs (usage-based, with IBAN direct debit) from subscribers across the territory, and modest cultural-tourism ticketing (e.g., Argileum workshops priced at €5-€15). Customer segments span residents (primary), local associations, entrepreneurs/artisans/wine growers, tourists (approximately 270,000 annual visitors at Pont du Diable), member-commune municipal services, and youth/families. GTM is direct-to-consumer across 28 commune town-hall relays, dedicated physical sites (Argileum, Maison du Grand Site, Maison du tourisme et des mobilités), a free summer shuttle network, and event-driven citizen-participation devices (enquêtes publiques, appels à projets, citizen committees, participatory surveys).

Name

Communauté de communes Vallée de l’Hérault

Legal name

Communauté de communes Vallée de l'Hérault

Website

https://cc-vallee-herault.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

French public intercommunal cooperation body (EPCI) delivering water, sanitation, waste, tourism, culture, and economic development public services across 28 communes of the Hérault valley, France, and co-managing the Grand Site de France Gorges de l'Hérault – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Public Services

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonprofit / Faith-Based CCRCs (HLADAEAC)

Keywords

• Public administration services
• Intercommunal cooperation
• Water utility services
• Waste management services
• Heritage tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Gignac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public taxation and intercommunal budget (Le budget): As an établissement public de coopération intercommunale (EPCI), CCVH is funded by public taxation (notably contribution économique territoriale and other local fiscal resources transferred by member communes), state subsidies, departmental and regional grants, and EU funding. A dedicated "Le budget" page is published on the institutional site.
2. Water and sanitation service fees (régie): Regie Service des Eaux Vallée de l'Hérault charges subscribers for drinking water distribution, wastewater treatment/collective sanitation, and non-collective sanitation (assainissement non collectif) management. Revenue collected via online bill payment and IBAN direct debit. Pricing is governed by published "Mes tarifs" and regulated under the Code de l'environnement and Code général des collectivités territoriales.
3. Public grants and co-financing (État, Région, Département, Europe): CCVH receives significant co-financing for capital projects from État (FNADT, DETR-DSIL), Région Occitanie (up to 40,000 € per project), Département de l'Hérault, and EU (Europe en Occitanie). Examples: 25,000 € FNADT + 40,000 € Région + 25,000 € Département for the Maison du Grand Site de France (total 160,000 €); 215,413 € État + 140,500 € Département + 119,618 € Région for the Pont du Diable requalification (total 611,842 € HT).
4. Cultural and tourist activity ticketing (Argileum): Ticketed cultural/animation activities at Argileum (Saint-Jean-de-Fos) with explicit pricing: 15 € adults / 9 € children for "Le réveil de l'artiste" modeling workshop, 7 € adults / 5 € for ages 10-14 for "Mission Argileum" animation, distributed via billetterie.saintguilhem-valleeherault.fr.
5. Public service fees (waste, library, music school, etc.): Selected services are paid online per the privacy policy ("vous permettre de payer en ligne certains services ou certaines prestations"), covering areas such as household waste collection, music school registration, and library/médiathèque services. Some cultural/library events (e.g., "Lectures à vue à Vendémian") are offered free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Communauté de communes Vallée de l'Hérault (CCVH) is a French public intercommunal cooperation body (établissement public de coopération intercommunale, EPCI) that delivers a wide range of public services to 28 member communes. Its core offerings include drinking water distribution and sanitation via an in-house water régie, household waste collection, an intercommunal music school, a library network, a FabLab (l'Alternateur), a pottery museum (Argileum), heritage sites (Ancienne Abbaye d'Aniane, Maison du Grand Site de France), tourism promotion, early childhood services, youth and sport programs, and economic development support.

Product overview

The Communauté de communes Vallée de l'Hérault operates a multi-service public-sector digital platform rather than a single product. The core platform is the institutional website (cc-vallee-herault.fr), which acts as the central entry point and routes residents to a portfolio of named sub-services. These include the Service des eaux (with its own dedicated portal at servicedeseaux.cc-vallee-herault.fr and subscriber account portal at abonnes.eau.cc-vallee-herault.fr), the Réseau des bibliothèques, the École de musique intercommunale, the FabLab l'Alternateur, the Argileum pottery museum, the Ancienne Abbaye d'Aniane heritage site, the Collecte des déchets service, the Service éducatif, and the Maison du Grand Site de France visitor center. Together these constitute a portfolio of municipal and intercommunal services targeting the territoire's 28 communes and their visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Service des Eaux Vallée de l'Hérault: Wholly operated public water régie providing drinking water, wastewater and sanitation services to the communes of the Communauté de communes Vallée de l'Hérault.
• FabLab l'Alternateur
• Office de tourisme (Saint-Guilhem – Vallée de l'Hérault)

Products and services

• Service des Eaux (Water and Sanitation) In-house public water utility (Régie Service des Eaux Vallée de l'Hérault) providing drinking water distribution, wastewater treatment, and sanitation services to residents and businesses of the 28 communes, including the Combe Salinière drinking water treatment plant in Gignac.
• Collecte des déchets ménagers Intercommunal household waste collection service providing collection schedules, sorting guidance, and waste-management information to residents of the 28 member communes.
• Réseau des bibliothèques Intercommunal library network providing catalog access, borrowing services, and cultural programming across the territory, including the Médiathèque de Vendémian.
• École de musique intercommunale Intercommunal music school offering music education, instrument instruction, and ensemble programs for residents, with branch locations in member communes such as Saint-Pargoire.
• FabLab l'Alternateur Community digital fabrication laboratory (FabLab) providing access to 3D printers, laser cutters, and maker-oriented workshops for residents, associations, and entrepreneurs under the CCVH 'Numérique et innovation' mission.
• Argileum - la maison de la poterie Museum dedicated to pottery and ceramics heritage, presenting the regional clay-working traditions and craft history of the vallée de l'Hérault, offering ticketed modeling workshops and animation activities.
• Ancienne Abbaye d'Aniane Former abbey of Aniane, managed heritage and tourist site offering cultural visits, historical programming, and seasonal exhibitions.
• Maison du Grand Site de France Visitor reception, interpretation center, vinothèque, boutique, restaurant, and public toilets for the Grand Site de France Gorges de l'Hérault - Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, with new immersive scenography launched in 2025.
• Maison du tourisme et des mobilités New facility opened on 5 May 2026 in Gignac combining tourism information services with sustainable mobility offerings for the vallée de l'Hérault territory.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~270,000 annual visitors at Pont du Diable, served by 400-space parking and an extended free shuttle network
• +7 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grand Pic Saint-Loup (Communauté de communes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management partner of the Grand Site de France Gorges de l'Hérault - Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. The two intercommunalities have shared governance of the label since 2018, which was renewed in 2025 for 8 years.
• Cévennes Gangeoises et Suménoises (Communauté de communes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management partner of the Grand Site de France since 2018, joining Grand Pic Saint-Loup and CCVH in shared governance. Partner on the 2025-2032 program.
• Hérault TransportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on summer shuttles to Pont du Diable; two Hérault Transport mediators are jointly deployed with CCVH from 1 June to 31 July, plus a line 668 (Montpellier - Clermont) with mediator presence.
• Montpellier Méditerranée MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Pont du Diable summer device; Hérault Transport and 3M mediators are deployed on the line 668 (Montpellier - Clermont) servicing Pont du Diable.
• Lycée Agricole de la Vallée de l'HéraultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned a partnership on 20 October 2025 (bail emphytéotique) on 11.7 hectares of land to support sustainable water-agriculture projects and vocational training.
• Chambre d'Agriculture de l'HéraultcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-organized animations in February 2026 on optimizing phytosanitary treatments for wine growers of the AAC du Pouget.
• Demain la Terre (association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organized the 25 March 2026 pedagogical visit of the Combe Salinière drinking water site in Gignac for adult audiences.
• Syndicat Mixte des Eaux de la Vallée Hérault (SIEVH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator for drinking water for several communes in CCVH territory (Arboras, Aumelas, Lagamas, Popian, Saint-Guiraud and parts of the sanitation network). 2 Route de Boyne, 34120 Cazouls-d'Hérault.
• Agence Régionale de Santé Occitanie (ARS)coreTechnology or IntegrationRegulator performing independent quality controls on drinking water; partner on educational visits (collège Lo Trentanel).
• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic biodiversity agency partner; logo displayed on the Service des Eaux homepage.
• Centre d'Information sur l'EauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInformation partner on water issues; logo displayed on the Service des Eaux homepage.
• Ville et Métiers d'ArtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner network association for craft businesses; logo displayed on the partners' wall.
• Réseau des Grands Sites de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the national network of Grand Sites de France; partner on the Maison du Grand Site scenography and the GSF label governance.
• Géoparc HéraultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of the Maison du Grand Site committee of experts; logo displayed in the partners' wall.
• Syndicat Centre Hérault (SCH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal intercommunal syndicat partner; logo displayed in the partners' wall.
• Office de Tourisme Saint-Guilhem Vallée HéraultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntercommunal tourist office partner that markets the territory, runs the Argileum pottery venue and provides online ticketing (billetterie.saintguilhem-valleeherault.fr). The new Maison du tourisme et des mobilités opens in Gignac on 11 June 2026.
• Pays Cœur d'HéraultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal development agency partner; logo displayed in the partners' wall.
• Inovagora (digital agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationDesigned, developed and hosts the cc-vallee-herault.fr institutional website and conducted the RGAA 4.1.2 accessibility audit (3 November 2025).
• Collège Lo Trentanel (Gignac)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted a pedagogical visit of the Combe Salinière water treatment plant for the "Gouttes de roches" project, combining SVT, geography, mathematics and physics-chemistry.
• École primaire de Saint-Bauzille-de-la-SylveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted a pedagogical visit of the Aumède captage site for primary school pupils as part of CCVH's water-awareness program.
• Communes de Saint-André-de-Sangonis, Saint-Pargoire et MontarnaudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree host communes of the 2026 Fête de la Jeunesse et du Sport (Saturday 30 May 2026), a free annual event organized by CCVH in partnership with local associations.
• Communes d'Aniane et Saint-Jean-de-Fos, Gendarmerie nationale, Police nationale, SDIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated 1 June - 31 August summer device at Pont du Diable involving municipal police of Aniane, ASVP of Saint-Jean-de-Fos, Gendarmerie, national police, and SDIS lifeguards.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Communauté de communes du Pays de Lunel: Neighboring EPCI in the Hérault department operating a similar portfolio of public services (water régie via Sud Rhône Environnement, waste, economic development, tourism). Regional peer for intercommunal public-service operating model and EPCI-level budgeting.
• Communauté d'agglomération Hérault Méditerranée: Adjacent intercommunalité in the Hérault department operating water régies, waste services, and tourism infrastructure (e.g., Cap d'Agde). Provides a regional peer for service-portfolio scope, water/sanitation operating model, and tourism funding mechanisms in Occitanie.

Broad incumbents

• Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole: Larger metropolitan EPCI partnering with CCVH on the Pont du Diable summer device and on Hérault Transport shuttles. Comparable for integrated mobility, public-procurement scale, and water/sanitation service delivery at greater scale.
• Réseau des Grands Sites de France: National network of Grand Sites de France (21 labeled sites in France, including the CCVH-led 'Gorges de l'Hérault'). Peer for label-driven governance models, national-level co-financing, and shared scenography/expertise practices.

Others

• Agence de l'eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse: Water agency co-financing CCVH's water and sanitation investments, including under the 2025 'Réforme des redevances'. Peer for funding mechanism, project co-financing terms and ARS-aligned regulatory expectations for French water régies.
• Pays Cœur d'Hérault: Local development agency (Pays) and CCVH partner; coordinates territorial strategy, EU co-financing and economic development across the Coeur d'Hérault area overlapping CCVH communes. Relevant peer for funding-stack and territorial marketing comparisons.

Direct peers

• Communauté de communes des Cévennes Gangeoises et Suménoises: Third co-manager of the Grand Site de France 'Gorges de l'Hérault – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert'. Comparable EPCI structure delivering public services to a rural Cévennes territory; shares co-funding mechanisms and 8-year label cycle with CCVH.
• Syndicat Mixte des Eaux de la Vallée Hérault (SIEVH): Drinking water operator for several CCVH communes (Arboras, Aumelas, Lagamas, Popian, Saint-Guiraud). Most direct operational peer for water régie practices, pricing structures and ARS-regulated drinking water service delivery within the same territory.
• Communauté de communes Grand Pic Saint-Loup: Neighboring French intercommunalité and co-manager of the Grand Site de France 'Gorges de l'Hérault – Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert' since 2018. Operates a comparable portfolio of public services (water, waste, economic development, tourism) for ~17 member communes in the Pic Saint-Loup area, sharing co-governance and co-financing structures with CCVH.
• Office de Tourisme Saint-Guilhem Vallée Hérault: Intercommunal tourist office linked to CCVH, operating Argileum, online ticketing, and the upcoming Maison du tourisme et des mobilités (opening 5 May 2026 in Gignac). Closest peer for tourism marketing, cultural venue ticketing and visitor experience management.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfnk78x-pQlyw8MxzmUrVyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/VALLEEDELHERAULT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communaut%C3%A9-de-communes-vall%C3%A9e-de-l'h%C3%A9rault

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Communauté de communes Vallée de l’Hérault