Withdrawal ban due to low water levels

The Warendorf district has also had far too little rain since early spring. Despite the sporadic rainfall in recent days, the summer temperatures and long periods without precipitation have led to falling water levels in rivers and streams throughout the district. The relevant water levels in the Ems and Lippe have once again fallen to mean low water. If the water levels fall even further, this could cause considerable damage to plants and animals, including fish kills.

For this reason, the lower water authority of the Warendorf district has now issued a general order prohibiting the withdrawal of water from surface waters.

This prohibition applies to the extraction of water from rivers, streams or ponds using mechanical or electrical pumps or other suction devices or mobile containers for public, owner and neighbourhood use. This also includes, for example, the abstraction of small quantities with a pump for the irrigation of private gardens by owners and neighbours of bodies of water. This expressly excludes the watering of livestock and scooping with hand containers.

Use water sparingly

To avoid exacerbating the drought, Michael Ottmann, Head of the Environment Department, and André Hackelbusch, Head of the Environment Agency, are asking all citizens to use water sparingly. "Just watering your garden in the early hours of the morning or in the evening can reduce consumption considerably," says André Hackelbusch, Head of the Environment Agency.