Domleschg plans water deliveries as springs run low

The municipality of Domleschg plans to truck drinking water to the mountain villages of Feldis and Scheid if their springs keep producing less, SRF reports. The measure is intended to protect supplies as water shortages worsen.

Since summer, the springs serving the two villages have delivered less water. If the trend continues, supplies may no longer meet demand in Feldis from early November and in Scheid from mid-December.

The municipality plans to rent drinking-water silos and a truck, which can carry about 25,000 litres per trip. Mayor Pius Giger said the deliveries could support supplies in an emergency. He described the costs as moderate because a municipal employee has the required truck-driving licence, leaving only the rental costs for the vehicle and silos.

Demand in Feldis can rise to about 200 cubic metres a day during the holiday period, more than three times the usual level. Around 100 people attended a municipal information meeting about the planned measures. Most respondents to an SRF survey said they understood the water-saving appeals, though residents raised concerns about the situation and whether visitors would follow the restrictions.

Giger said the municipality wanted to reassure residents that drinking-water supplies could be maintained even if spring flows continued to fall. He noted that Graubünden is often seen as a water-rich region, but said the situation in Feldis and Scheid showed that reliable supplies could no longer be taken for granted in Alpine communities.