Milk tanker delivers drinking water to drought-hit municipality

Michelbach in the St Pölten district is receiving drinking water from neighbouring municipalities because prolonged dry weather has severely strained its supply, ORF reported.

For the past four weeks, a tanker that normally transports milk has delivered about 300 cubic metres of drinking water to the municipality each week. Michelbach, which has around 850 residents, buys the water from neighbouring municipalities.

Mayor Gerhard Berger said conditions in the municipality were “very, very bad”. One of the three springs previously used to supply Michelbach has already dried up completely.

The deliveries are costly, with the municipality paying between 15 and 17 euros per cubic metre. Officials continue to urge residents to use water sparingly.

EVN reports no supply crisis

EVN Wasser, which supplies numerous municipalities in Lower Austria, has also felt the effects of the prolonged dry period. Household consumption was above the previous year’s level, particularly in June, said Jakob Denk of EVN Wasser.

The unusual feature this year was the length of time that consumption remained high, Denk said. The situation has since stabilised, and EVN Wasser does not consider the current situation a supply crisis. Its extensive distribution network can continue to meet demand, so no general water-saving measures have been introduced.

EVN Wasser nevertheless recommends using water carefully. The company is also assessing future consumption and available resources when planning water infrastructure.

Michelbach searches for new springs

The tanker deliveries in Michelbach are likely to continue for some time. Even if rain arrives, the springs will not immediately regain their former flow, Berger said.

The municipality is therefore searching for additional sources, as are many other municipalities. Berger said the dry period was a good opportunity to look for sustainable sources and expressed hope that any water found would be sufficiently productive. For now, he said, the municipality urgently needs rain.