Dry summer pushes Lower Austrian towns to expand water supplies

Water levels remain critically low in much of Lower Austria after a dry summer, with the southern Waldviertel still facing shortages, ORF reports. Municipalities are responding by expanding wells, storage capacity and shared supply networks.

Several municipalities asked residents to conserve water during the prolonged dry spell by not filling swimming pools, watering gardens with drinking water or washing cars at home. Recent rain has eased conditions in some areas, but groundwater levels have barely improved.

“We still have very low groundwater levels at 90 percent of our monitoring stations,” said Günther Konheisner, deputy head of the Lower Austrian state water management department.

The southern Waldviertel, parts of the Mostviertel and remote settlements are particularly vulnerable. In some places, the fire brigade is still delivering water. Overall, however, drinking water supplies in Lower Austria remained secure throughout the summer, Konheisner said.

In Pöggstall in Melk district, the municipality now uses about 9,000 litres of rainwater a day to water flowers at the cemetery by St Anna Church. A slurry tanker transports the water there, replacing the drinking water previously used for the graves. A rainwater tank has also been installed in the town centre.

Mayor Helmut Hahn of the Austrian People’s Party had threatened at the end of June to shut off drinking water overnight if consumption did not fall. The warning worked, he said, and the municipality never had to cut off the supply or bring in additional water.

But the situation in the southern Waldviertel has not generally improved. Pöggstall is searching for additional water sources, with test drilling planned. Talks are also under way about an additional supply from the Danube region.

“In 2017, we developed a well that provides 400 cubic metres of water a day. We said then that it was a well for future generations. Nine years later, we are already talking about developing more sources,” Hahn said.

The city of Melk, about 30 kilometres away, has expanded its reserves. Two new elevated storage tanks came into operation last year, holding a combined 3,000 cubic metres of drinking water, five times the capacity of the old tanks.

Melk Mayor Patrick Strobl said the previous 600-cubic-metre tanks had left the city with no reserve. The new facilities were built larger to accommodate population growth and new businesses and to serve the city for decades to come.

The tanks passed their first summer stress test. Daily consumption reached between 3,000 and 3,500 cubic metres on the hottest days, compared with about 2,200 cubic metres currently and between 1,000 and 1,500 cubic metres in winter. The water comes from two well systems near the Danube and the Pielach, which continued to provide sufficient volumes during the dry period.

In Weinzierl am Walde in Krems district, the drinking water situation has also improved somewhat, according to Mayor Herbert Prandtner. However, a municipal water-saving regulation remains in force because conditions have not returned to normal. The mayor said it could take at least another one or two weeks before the regulation is lifted.