Czech reservoirs release reserves to combat drought

Water management authorities in the Czech Republic are utilizing reservoir reserves to combat significant hydrological drought. In the Labe river basin, inflows to reservoirs have reached levels near historical minimums, comparable to the dry years of 2015 and 2018. While some reservoirs like Hamry received only 7% of their long-term average inflow in July, others like Harcov maintained higher levels. To maintain necessary river flows and support waterworks, approximately 17 million cubic meters of water have already been released from Labe basin reservoirs.

Similarly, in the Odra river basin, authorities report that water discharge from reservoirs is nearly five times the amount of incoming water. Although reservoirs in this region remain relatively full (between 80% and 94% capacity), extremely low inflows necessitate the use of stored water to sustain river ecosystems and dilute residual pollution from wastewater treatment plants.

Despite the drought, water supplies for residents and industry remain stable. In the Labe basin, water withdrawals for waterworks have increased by 10.9% year-on-year, while industrial consumption has decreased. Officials from both Povodí Odry and Povodí Labe indicate that current reserves are sufficient to prevent the need for water restrictions, even if dry conditions persist.