Seven departments across France now have tap water restrictions in place as the risk of summer drought looms.
A further 14 have ‘vigilance’ warnings, asking residents to be mindful of water usage but without implementing any restrictions at this time.
Among the seven departments, warnings are split between the three tiers of severity:
Alerte – Creuse, Hérault
Alerte renforcée – Ain, Ardennes, Indre
Crise – Loiret, Pyrénées-Orientales
Restrictions range from limits on when vehicles can be cleaned and gardens watered, to a halt on swimming pools being filled or topped-up.
At the highest ‘crise’ level, all but essential water usage is banned.
A map of departments facing restrictions can be seen below.
As a reminder, warnings are given at a communal level, meaning not all people in a department face the same restrictions.
This is because restrictions are based on water sources, which can vary at opposite ends of departments.
For example, only a small number of overall communes in the Pyrénées-Orientales department are facing crise-level restrictions, with others at lower levels or free altogether.
Restrictions differ based on the water type (tap water, well water, river water) and usage (household consumption, professional, farmer, local authority).
The government’s interactive VigiEau websiteallows residents to check restrictions in their area, either through a map or by entering their address. It is updated daily to reflect new departmental restrictions.
More information on using the VigiEau website is available in our article here.
