No filling pools or watering lawns: Munich issues decree to save water

The city of Munich is calling on residents to save drinking water.

In recent weeks, amidst pretty consistently hot weather, the city's daily water usage has surged -- from around 300 million litres of water per day to over 360 million litres per day -- according to information shared by the city's utility company, Stadtwerke München.

To prevent potential water shortages, the city issued a decree, as of July 14th, which calls on residents to save water wherever possible and also prohibits the use of drinking water for filling pools or watering lawns, among other activities.

"Even though thunderstorms and rain are predicted for the coming days, this precipitation does not have a sufficient effect to ease the water situation," reads an announcement of the water saving order shared by Stadtwerke München.

"Until further notice, please use drinking water only where it is indispensable - for drinking, cooking, hygiene and medical purposes," it adds in summary.

Prohibitions and exceptions

As long as the decree is in effect, the following uses of water are prohibited in the city of Munich:

• filling private pools and bathing pools, fountains, water play facilities and water barrels
• watering and irrigation of privately used home and allotment gardens from 9 am to 7 pm (exceptions are in place for commercial or public areas, agricultural and forestry land, cemeteries and also for private gardens that use water-saving drip irrigation)
• watering lawns and other green areas not used for commercial or public use (exceptions here include sports fields, agricultural and forestry areas and cemeteries)
• washing private vehicles outside of commercial car washes
• spray cleaning (e.g. with pressure washers) of privately used terraces, walls, streets, roofs, courtyards and pathways
• moistening construction roads and construction sites (except when officially required)
• extracting water from lakes, ponds or rivers (exception for watering livestock and for agricultural needs, or when the water is completely returned)

Consequences

Under the decree, violations can be punished with fines of up to €50,000 according to the Water Resources Act.

The above rules apply until August 1st, 2026, unless the decree is revoked before then.

An extension of the period is also possible in the event of persistent drought.

The order also applies to seven surrounding municipalities that are also supplied by the Munich municipal utilities: Aschheim, Garching, Neubiberg, Neuried, Oberschleissheim, Unterföhring and Unterhaching.

Is it necessary?

Known for its surfing wave on the Isar River, green parks and nearby alpine lakes, it may come as a surprise to some that Munich is currently facing a water supply shortage. But groundwater supplies are said to be critically low, and Stadtwerke München noted that surging daily average consumption during summertime hot weather is threatening to shrink those supplies ever further.

Munich mayor Dominik Krause commissioned the city's Department of Climate and Environmental Protection (RKU) along with Stadtwerke München to develop a strategy to ensure long-term conservation of the city's water resources.

"After an exceptionally dry winter and spring, the existing resources of Munich's water supply are currently extremely strained," Krause said, when he announced the decree. "I ask all Munich residents to stick to the rules so that groundwater levels recover. Water is our most precious resource, let's handle it carefully."

At the end of June, the city of Landau an der Isar in Lower Bavaria had issued an irrigation ban. Numerous other municipalities in the Free State called on their citizens to save water. There are currently no restrictions in the district of Munich, but the district office also called on the population to save water.