Overview
- Landkreis Bautzen has extended its 2019 ban on pumping water from streams, lakes and surface bodies and is evaluating further restrictions on groundwater extraction
- Similar prohibitions take effect in Baden-Württemberg’s Biberach, Ravensburg, Alb-Donau and Bodenseekreis districts until at least mid-July regardless of visible water availability
- In Saxony, 82 percent of 288 monitoring sites report groundwater levels averaging 44 centimetres below normal while some Elbe tributaries carry as little as 10 percent of their usual flow
- The bans exclude livestock watering and manual scooping by hand, and violations can incur fines up to €10,000
- Officials report extreme water temperatures are already stressing fish and invertebrates and warn that conditions will worsen without sustained rainfall