In view of the ongoing dry spells and the increasingly tense situation in Aachen's streams, the Lower Water Authority is calling on citizens to exercise restraint when drawing water. The lack of water threatens animal and plant species. However, the self-purification capacity of the streams is also suffering from the lack of water. Water abstraction exacerbates the situation and can lead to stretches of water running dry or even drying up completely. Most of the small streams in the headwaters have already dried up. The task now is to prevent the streams in Aachen that still carry water, in particular the Haarbach in the upper reaches, the Inde and the Iterbach, from drying up.

In particular, it is requested that the permit-free extraction of water from surface waters using mechanical or electrical pumping and suction devices be avoided. Although so-called "public use" and also "owner and resident use" is permitted by law to a certain extent, the use of technical aids often leads to excessive abstraction, which severely disrupts the ecological functions of water bodies.

The Lower Water Authority appeals to the Aachen population's sense of responsibility: "Please help to protect our water resources - refrain from using pumps and only use water when it is absolutely necessary." Short-term water inflows due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorm cells do not lead to a sustained increase in water levels in the streams.

If the drought persists and the situation worsens, the authority reserves the right to take further measures, including possible restrictions or bans on water abstraction.