New water restrictions in France: which areas are affected and what changes for residents

More drought alerts are being issued across France, as southern and northern departments alike see restrictions toughened on water usage. 

Successive heatwaves in June saw a dramatic increase in drought warnings across the month, and recent high temperatures have exacerbated the situation. 

In Pas-de-Calais, an ‘alerte’ warning has been issued in several communes near Boulougne-sur-Mer, banning the washing of vehicles at home and limiting when gardens can be watered. Filling or topping up swimming pools is also now prohibited in most cases. 

A severe lack of rain in the north in recent months means soil is up to 60% drier than usual, lowering natural water tables. 

Authorities are asking people in communes around the town to significantly reduce their water usage to help prevent further alerts being put in place.

In the Bouches-du-Rhône, several communes including Aix-en-Provence are now at the next highest level, alerte renforcée, which has stricter controls on residents and severely limits public water usage in gardens, golf courses, fountains, etc. 

Hundreds of other communes in France are facing alerts, with some in central and southern France already at the highest possible ‘crise’ level, which bans all but essential water usage for property owners, renters, farmers, public authorities and businesses alike.

Only the south-west is largely free of alerts for the moment, but this is unlikely to remain the case for long.

You can read about what each warning level corresponds to in our article here.

Check restrictions in your area 

While departmental prefectures issue warnings about drought alerts – can enact wider limits across part or all of a department or water zone – generally restrictions come into force at a communal level. 

This means limits on activities can vary considerably between each warning level, and even two communes on the same alert will face different restrictions due to local circumstances.

These restrictions can also differ between tap, river, and well water, as well as between property owners, farmers, and businesses.

To find out restrictions in your area, you can use the official VigiEau website. 

The website has an interactive map, but you can also enter your address to see a list of limits where you are. 

Further alerts likely 

Despite early optimism that summer droughts would not be so severe this year, the successive heatwaves have dried out soils, and a vicious cycle between the two is emerging. 

High temperatures cause these drier soils, which in turn prevents evaporation in the air – a natural cooling process. 

This means temperatures remain high, further drying out soils, and repeating the pattern. 

This can be a localised issue, and lead to isolated cases of severe drought in areas that are otherwise relatively free of alerts. 

Even if severe summer rains occur, they are unlikely to penetrate these now dry soils and refill groundwater levels, meaning the drought alerts will remain in place throughout summer.