Drought sets in in France. Nationally, July 2022 will be “very probably” the driest month of July since 1959, according to Météo-France. Of the 96 metropolitan departments, 91 are on alert. But for the moment, the Landes department is not concerned by the maximum drought alerts on the rivers. The prefecture has for the moment taken few water restriction decrees and none concern individuals.
No restrictions for individuals
If you are an individual in the Landes, no restrictions apply for the moment: you can water your vegetable garden or your lawn fill your swimming pool…. Because the decrees on the use of water in the Landes concern for the moment only the so-called “superficial” water reserves, that is to say the streams and rivers.
Outside the Landes, city water used by individuals is largely drawn from deep groundwater. And since it rained rather well in winter, the level of these layers is still correct in the department.
Several decrees on watercourses
Conversely, farmers in so-called superficial waterways: rivers, streams and other bodies of water. There, with the heat wave and the very light rains since the beginning of the summer, the levels have dropped sharply. Which explains that several basins are on alert (in yellow) or even on heightened alert (in orange) inland, as indicated by the map on the government site Propluvia. On the other hand, throughout the west of the department, no watercourse is subject to particular vigilance.
No Landes basin is currently in “crisis”, maximum alert (in red). The south-east of the Landes is currently on alert, the first level of alert (in gray).
– Propluvia
Several decrees are therefore in force since mid-July, for restrict the use of water by farmers (and some individuals who pump water from these superficial reserves). This can range from a limitation of watering 1 day out of 4, for example on the basin of the Adour between the limit of Gers and Audon, to a total ban on the taking of water in several streams, or even in the basin of the Louts upstream of the Hagetmau dam.
The list of prefectural decrees regarding water restrictions in the Landes is HERE.