Water withdrawal in Brandenburg: Drastic restrictions due to drought!

Water withdrawal in Brandenburg: Drastic restrictions due to drought!

The summer heat has left its mark in Brandenburg. In view of the dramatic drought in recent months, the Dahme-Spreewald district, together with the Spree-Neisse and the city of Cottbus, are taking drastic measures. How maz-online.de reported, a general order was issued restricting the withdrawal of water from surface waters of the Spree system and the upper reaches of the Dahme between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. This regulation applies until revoked and is a response to the worrying water shortage and the extremely low flows in the rivers.

The situation is serious: The Spree-Neiße district has issued a similar order for the cities of Spremberg, Drebkau and Burg. The main focus here is on protecting the aquatic ecological functions. It is therefore necessary to prevent further declines in water supply by regulating abstraction in the affected areas.

Measures to curb drought

Where is the water in Brandenburg? That's what you're rightly asking yourself at the moment. The Oberspreewald-Lausitz district is also restricting water withdrawal from rivers, according to a report by n-tv.de. The ban will apply from June 20, 2025 and will affect both property owners and residents. In the affected regions, not only pumping water, for example with electric garden pumps, is prohibited. Only scooping up water with a watering can is permitted - but here too, only in moderation.

The reasons for these cuts are clear. The soil is far too dry and the rainfall in recent months has been far from sufficient. The German Weather Service (DWD) reports that Germany experienced the driest period since 1931 from February to April 2025. The north and northeast are particularly hard hit, where March rainfall values ​​of only 9 l/m² were measured, as the Federal Environment Agency shows, which also informs that water withdrawals have declined in recent decades.

Review of the weather situation

Let's turn to the weather situation. March 2025 saw just 21% of average precipitation compared to previous years, making it the sixth driest March since 1881. May also only brought around 48 l/m², which corresponds to 68% of the usual amount. The winter of 2024/25 was also too dry at 155 l/m², and the effects are clearly noticeable in agriculture and water availability. A drought monitor shows extreme to exceptional drought in the topsoil, particularly in northwest and northern Germany.

Although Germany has a potential water supply of 176 billion cubic meters per year, the regional differences in water availability are dramatic. As the Federal Environment Agency describes, agriculture in particular is suffering from the current conditions. Not only does drought impact yields, it also leads to nutrient surpluses and increases the likelihood of wind erosion, especially in areas without adequate land cover.

All eyes are now turned to the coming weeks in the hope that weather conditions will change and water levels will rise. In the meantime, residents have no choice but to take the requested restrictions seriously and actively contribute to saving water.