Heat and drought pressure Upper Austria’s drinking water supply

Heat and drought are putting drinking water supplies under pressure in Upper Austria, with several municipalities already calling on residents to save water, ORF reports. Christian Kneidinger, head of the drinking water and wastewater group in the Upper Austrian government’s water management department, said better cooperation would be needed to secure supplies in the future.

In Traunkirchen, the municipality’s own springs have dried up. The neighbouring municipality of Altmünster has stepped in to help, and now provides around half of the drinking water needed there.

Several smaller hydropower plants have also had to suspend operations because of low water levels. In the Mühlviertel region, the drought is affecting Ulrichsberg, where springs are currently supplying only about 20 percent of their usual capacity. Deeper wells are intended to provide more water in the future.

Many streams and rivers are suffering from the dry conditions, with some now carrying no water at all.

The prolonged heat is also increasing public concern. According to a recent Marketagent survey, six in 10 people in Austria expect water availability problems within the next 10 years. Nearly half of those surveyed consider the current availability of water and drinking water problematic, compared with 24 percent in 2023. Twice as many people are worried about the current water situation this year.

How well Upper Austria is prepared for longer periods of drought, and what measures are needed to secure supplies in the future, are discussed in ORF’s “Auf ein Wort” programme.