Drought drives Lower Austrian towns to secure water supplies

Lower Austrian municipalities are seeking new water sources as groundwater remains low at 88 percent of monitoring stations, ORF reported.

In Michelbach, a municipality in St Pölten district, a milk tanker delivered drinking water from neighboring municipalities from July to August after local supplies could no longer meet demand. Mayor Gerhard Berger said the municipality spent about 25,000 euros to maintain the water supply.

Perchtoldsdorf, in Mödling district, urged residents to conserve water, avoid lawn sprinklers and automatic irrigation systems, and limit watering plants. In Pöggstall, in Melk district, the municipality came close to shutting off drinking water at night.

The measures follow an exceptionally dry summer. The past months brought the lowest precipitation since records began, and the drought is still being felt in November. Rain has moistened the upper soil layers in some places, but the water has not yet reached groundwater, said Martin Angelmaier, head of the Lower Austrian state government’s water management department.

Groundwater levels remain low or very low at 88 percent of the state’s monitoring stations. Martin Fürndraht, Perchtoldsdorf’s councillor for business and infrastructure, said forecasts did not indicate a rapid recovery and that too little precipitation had fallen.

Michelbach has operated a new 300-cubic-metre reservoir for drinking and firefighting water since 2023. The municipality is using ground-penetrating radar surveys to look for new water sources and possible sites for wells, Berger said.

Perchtoldsdorf is also looking to increase water extraction from its wells, from 12 litres per second to 17 litres or more, and is considering a third borehole. The municipality has commissioned a study to help plan its water supply for the next 10 years.

The federal and state governments plan to support water projects. Lower Austrian Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf said water should be retained where it falls, including by giving waterways more space. In Lower Austria, 386 projects costing about 150 million euros are due to receive 42 million euros in federal funding.

Until projects are completed, officials are hoping for sustained, moderate rainfall. Angelmaier said rain spread over several days would allow the ground to absorb more water than a heavy downpour. Fürndraht said he hoped for a snowy winter, with snow melting slowly into the ground.