The impact of too little rain
Cracked soil, trees dropping their leaves early and forest fires across the whole of the country – these were just a few of the consequences of this summer’s drought. The plants were also affected badly by the high temperatures and lack of rain, something that was also reflected by the falling groundwater levels. At the same time, demand for drinking water hit a record high. Despite these extraordinary conditions, all of the areas supplied by REMONDIS Aqua had plenty of drinking water throughout the summer months.
Peak drinking water consumption was 54 percent above the annual average this summer.
Increased demand for drinking water
Many of the country’s utility companies and water associations supplied record volumes of drinking water in June and July. Around 1.81 million cubic metres of water were supplied to the company’s customers in the Lausitz region, over 360,000 cubic metres more than the average July figures of the last few years. EURAWASSER Nord GmbH, which is based in Güstrow, reported that peak daily consumption was 30 percent above the yearly average. The waterworks in Grafschaft (Rhineland-Palatinate) was, at times, supplying up to 60 percent more water than would be required on a day with normal temperatures. The volumes of drinking water consumed in Schwerin peaked on 25 July: 21,992 cubic metres were needed on that one day. The annual average here is 14,250 cubic metres. Forest fires and other types of fire further exacerbated the situation – demand for drinking water increased everywhere.
Plenty of groundwater supplies
Supplies of drinking water, however, were never in danger of drying up in any of the company’s regions, stressed REMONDIS Aqua managing director Andreas Bankamp. Groundwater supplies are well stocked. A very close eye is kept on the drinking water tanks during times of drought to make sure they are always full. At no point were supplies close to being critical. The drinking water is sourced from groundwater that replenishes itself over a very long period of time, for the most part over 50 years previously. Overuse of the groundwater supplies in the aquifers used by REMONDIS Aqua is, therefore, not to be expected, even in long periods of drought.
Water pipes checked regularly
The managers of the plants and waterworks also kept a very close eye on the water pipes. Regular inspections were carried out to make sure that the increased flow rate and the drying up of the soil did not cause the pipes to crack. This work was well worth its while as the number of burst pipes did not increase during this period.
Image credits: image 1: Adobe Stock: maribom
