Munich declines to reinstate water-saving order despite councillors' drought warning

Munich will not bring back its general order restricting water use, the city's Department of Climate and Environmental Protection has said. It was replying to a request from city councillors who argued that the drought is not over and that the city should keep saving water. The order applied from 14 July to 1 August 2026.

The request, dated 3 August 2026, came from councillors Dirk Höpner, Tobias Ruff, Kathrin Schäfer and Johann Sauerer of the ÖDP/BK/ML group. They asked Lord Mayor Dominik Krause to reinstate the order and add further measures. Private gardens would be watered only with watering cans, hoses with hand valves or drip irrigation, not with large sprinklers. Drinking water could not be used for watering within 24 hours before or after forecast heavy rain. The councillors said groundwater levels and spring flows had continued to fall, and that groundwater near the Deisenhofener Forst catchment area run by the municipal utility SWM was at an all-time low. They argued that easing off before groundwater levels recover was irresponsible.

The department said the city council cannot formally vote on the matter, because issuing such an order is routine administration and falls to the Lord Mayor. It added that restrictions on water use must be proportionate and kept as short as possible, because they interfere with fundamental rights. The period from 14 July to 1 August was judged sufficient to secure the water supply. The decision not to extend the order was taken by the water shortage task force led by Mr Krause, based on expert assessments.

On the proposed measures, the department said large sprinklers are mainly used on lawns and green spaces, and watering these was already completely banned while the order applied. Watering beds, perennials and individual shrubs was allowed between 7pm and 9am and is usually done directly rather than with sprinklers. It said a ban on watering around forecast heavy rain would be difficult to enforce in a legally sound way, because forecasts are often uncertain and storms and rain in the city are often very localised.

Munich's water comes mainly from the Mangfall and Loisach valleys and the Munich gravel plain, with only a small share taken within the city to cover peak demand. SWM said it continuously assesses groundwater levels and spring flows in these areas. It said careful use of drinking water is a permanent task for society, not a short-term measure for droughts, and that in summer 2026 it and the city repeatedly warned about low water levels and called on people to save water.

Separately, the Lord Mayor has commissioned the department and SWM to draw up a long-term water strategy for Munich. It aims to keep the supply secure and resilient as the climate changes. It is to include long-term precautionary and adaptation measures as well as graded options for dry periods, low water and water shortages, which can be adjusted to the situation.