- Dresden bans water withdrawals from water bodies
Heat and drought in Dresden lead to first consequences. Until the end of the year, no water may be taken from almost all bodies of water in the state capital, as the administration announced. Despite rain, small bodies of water are drying up. "Many Dresden streams and rivers have too little water or are partly dried up. For example, the Gorbitzbach, the Prießnitz, and the Nöthnitzbach are severely affected," it was said. The extremely low water levels will not be balanced by rainfall in the coming weeks, according to current weather forecasts.
Therefore, the Lower Water Authority of the city has issued a ban on water withdrawal from surface waters within the city area. It comes into effect on Thursday. Until further notice, owners and residents may not take water from city streams. Violations can be punished as an administrative offense. The fine is at least 50 euros.
Elbe excluded from the ban
Not affected are water withdrawals for which a water law permit exists. The Elbe is excluded from the ban. At the Lockwitzbach and the Weißeritz, water can be drawn with handheld containers.
"Even the isolated heavy rainfall in recent weeks has not led to a sustained improvement. It has done the nature good, but the waters need much more. It would almost have to rain heavily and continuously for a week for the situation to improve. However, it is expected to remain dry," explained Environmental Office Director René Herold.
Request from the administration: Handle water carefully
A restriction on groundwater use does not have to be imposed at present, it was further stated. The groundwater levels at the measuring points are currently on average about 20 centimeters below the monthly average of the last 15 years. This corresponds to a normal fluctuation. Finally, the administration reminded of the general principle of always handling water carefully and sparingly. For watering, rainwater should preferably be collected and used. In general, watering in the early morning or late evening hours is recommended to minimize losses through evaporation. Lawn areas should not be watered in principle.
The current weather forecasts predict that the extremely low water levels will not be significantly improved by rainfall in the coming weeks. Handling water carefully and sparingly is emphasized as a general principle by the administration, recommending the use of rainwater for watering and suggesting watering in the early morning or late evening hours to minimize evaporation.
