Groundwater is scarce in Saxony-Anhalt. More and more districts are restricting the possibility of taking water, at least temporarily. This is to prevent waste.
Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - The groundwater and surface water levels in Saxony-Anhalt are low. Many districts have therefore reacted and restricted the possibility of drawing water. Others are planning such regulations if there is still no precipitation, according to a survey by the German Press Agency.
In the meantime, the Altmark district of Salzwedel, the Salzland district, the districts of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Stendal, Jerichower Land and the city of Dessau-Roßlau have published corresponding general decrees. As a rule, taking water from surface waters using technical devices is completely forbidden and the use of wells is limited in time.
In a time window from the morning or noon to the evening, neither public nor private green spaces, but also sports fields, for example, may not be irrigated with water from wells. Evaporation is greatest during this time. Violations of the general decrees can be punished with a fine of up to 50,000 euros. "According to the current resonance, it can be determined that the restriction is only violated in a few cases," said a spokeswoman for the Stendal district.
Corresponding regulations are also planned in the district of Börde. The ground and surface water levels have not recovered due to a lack of rainfall in the consecutive years 2018 to 2021, said a spokesman. "An improvement in the situation is not in sight this year either."
In all likelihood, there will also be a general decree in the Harz district - if the discharge values are permanently below the mean low water flow rate. "We are currently assuming that this situation will be reached in mid-July," said the district.
In the Saale district, water withdrawals have not yet been restricted. However, the situation is being monitored very closely, a spokeswoman said. A spokeswoman said that Magdeburg would weigh up what actually makes sense without falling into blind activism. She pointed out that the situation in the surrounding districts was different from that in the state capital.
The district of Wittenberg has also not imposed any restrictions so far. "Even without a general decree, wasting water is prohibited by the Water Resources Act. We are grateful for information to our water authority," District Administrator Christian Tylsch (CDU) said a few days ago.
