Water restrictions for Dordogne homeowners remain in place

THE Dordogne préfet has announced some changes to the water restrictions in place for agriculture, but for homeowners there is no change to the limitations they face.

In its latest press release the authorities have said that despite some rain in recent days, water levels are still not as high as they should be.

So private car owners cannot wash their vehicles, private pools larger than 20m3 cannot be refilled and gardens, lawns or potagers cannot be watered between 8h and 20h.

The initial set of water restrictions targeting homeowners came into force on 10 August, and at the time the préfet said they were expected to be in place until the end of August.

Dordogne water restrictions map

A new map has been produced by the Dordogne authorities showing which of the four different levels of alert apply to different areas of the département.

The lowest level in France is vigilance, or warning, and this means should be aware of their water use and try to conserve and not waste any water.

The next step up is alerte and this requires homeowners to reduce the amount of water they use, for example in swimming pools or if watering their gardens.

The second highest level of warning is alerte renforcée and this could see homeowners asked not to wash their cars, a ban on the water of lawns and farmers being asked not to water crops for half the week.

And the highest level is crise which places an emphasis on ensuring drinking water is available to all residents and any other use facing tight restrictions or being banned completely.

An online service is available to find out what water restrictions are in place for different parts of France.

If you have any questions about the restrictions that apply to your local area then the mairie should be your first point of contact as they will have the latest information from the authorities.