From tomorrow, 18 July, it is prohibited to draw water from above-ground bodies of water in the territory of the City of Chemnitz for personal use (owner, resident and public use) using technical aids such as pumps, pipes or hoses as well as hand containers. This applies up to and including 31 October 2025.
The City of Chemnitz has issued a general decree on this, which can be read online here. This comes into force on the day after the public announcement in the official gazette (issue 29).
The water levels of Chemnitz's watercourses are currently low again; they are almost completely below the long-term average low water discharge and below the ecologically necessary minimum discharge. Current precipitation levels are also well below the long-term average. At the same time, high temperatures are leading to increased evaporation. If the weather is predominantly warm and dry, water levels may fall further. Localised rain showers and thundershowers do little to ease the low water situation. Even minor water withdrawals lead to an impairment of the water balance and to a further significant reduction in water levels.
Low water levels and rising water temperatures reduce the oxygen content of the water, thus reducing the self-purification capacity of the water bodies. This jeopardises water-dependent plants and animals. More algae grow, fish and microorganisms die.
Unregulated and unrestricted abstraction, such as pumping or discharging water from streams, exacerbates this situation. In addition, experience has shown that in many places where water is pumped, unauthorised dams or pump sumps are built to collect and drain the water.
The Lower Water Authority of the Environmental Agency is also available to answer questions about the applicable water legislation by telephone on 0371 488-3651 or by email at umweltamt.wasser(at)stadt-chemnitz.de.
www.chemnitz.de/av_wasserentnahme
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