Water board Amstel, Gooi en Vecht is expanding its regional water ban as dry conditions continue across the area.
Recent rainfall has not been nearly enough to replenish the freshwater supply to normal levels. Starting this Friday, the existing restrictions will broaden to cover the use of groundwater.
Restrictions expand to farming
Between 06:00 and 22:00, it will be forbidden to pump groundwater to irrigate agricultural land.
The groundwater restriction applies specifically to the area east of the river Vecht and is intended to protect local nature reserves.
A ban has already been in place since last week on drawing water from ditches, rivers, ponds, and lakes to spray crops, private gardens, or sports pitches.
According to the water authority, that initial measure appears to be working, as surface water levels have stopped falling since the rule took effect.
Emergency pumps and closed locks
The wider ban comes alongside several other emergency steps taken to manage the regional water supply during the dry spell.
Since last Friday, three emergency pumps in Muiden have been running continuously to move 4,000 litres of freshwater per second from the Markermeer into the Vecht.
The lock in the centre of Weesp has also been temporarily shut to keep as much freshwater inside the Vecht as possible.
Further east, extra water is being pumped from the Gooimeer to Huizen. Because water levels in that area continue to fall, the water board is deploying an additional tractor pump to send more volume toward Huizen.
The water board stated in a press release that these measures are intended to preserve overall water quality and ensure that fish and plant life have enough water.
