Suhrental warns of drinking water crisis as restrictions loom
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 18:45 in
Switzerland
The Suhrental region of Aargau is facing its tightest drinking-water supply on record, and its groundwater association is urging drastic water-saving measures, SRF reports. Around 15 municipalities are being urged to impose restrictions and fine residents and businesses if necessary.
Groundwater levels have fallen since 2024, and the summer of 2026 worsened the shortage. The region depends heavily on the Suhre river, which flows from Lake Sempach through the Suhrental to Aarau and the Aare. The lake is so low that water is being pumped into the Suhre to help fish survive.
Groundwater is replenished when river or rainwater seeps into the soil, but the region has had little rain. Andy Häfeli, a well master for several municipalities and a member of the groundwater association, said there had been no groundwater replenishment in winter or spring and that streams and lakes were exceptionally low.
Some groundwater pumping stations have already been shut down. In Kölliken, the water level is so low that officials have stopped pumping, leaving about half a metre of water reserved for emergencies. The shortage is particularly acute from Kölliken towards Staffelbach, Reitnau and Moosleerau. Nearby municipalities in Lucerne are also affected.
The groundwater association has declared a water crisis and activated level two of its five-stage emergency plan. At the highest level, the water supply would be shut off and brought in by truck. Moving water between reservoirs is possible but technically complex and costly; the price could be about four times higher for customers.
In the short term, the association says water savings are necessary. Washing cars, paved areas, roofs and solar installations is banned in several municipalities, with fines of several hundred francs possible. Industry has been ordered to cut water use by 10 per cent.
A longer-term solution is planned: a new pumping station near Muhen that can draw groundwater from deeper underground. Officials expect it to enter service in about ten years. The association has also tested whether groundwater could be pumped from Aarau, which has sufficient supplies from the Aare aquifer, over 18 kilometres into the Suhrental.