Everyone with municipal water is affected by the ban, including water associations connected to municipal water.
The decision means that residents in the affected areas cannot use municipal water to water lawns, wash cars, or fill pools and hot tubs.
Mattias Lindkvist is unit manager for drinking water production at water and waste at Skellefteå municipality.
The watering ban is in effect from Thursday to Monday, June 3. Is there a risk that it will be extended?
– We don't think so, but it's hard to predict. We are monitoring the situation and we will know very quickly if the water level in our reservoirs rises, he says.
Stefan Andonov is the operations manager for Skellefteå municipality's drinking water department. He monitors the water levels and insists that the problem is not urgent. Temporary watering bans are a common measure during the summer months.
– It is not a major concern or an urgent problem. We are doing it to restore the balance in the reservoirs. If we didn't do it, it wouldn't threaten drinking water levels in any way, but we're doing it mainly to restore the system, he says.
According to Andonov, the reservoirs have two main functions.
– One is to maintain water pressure in the municipal network, so that households get good pressure when they turn on the tap. The reservoirs also act as a buffer when the drinking water runs out or cannot be used for some reason, he says.
The municipality has also contacted local businesses and industries and asked them to conserve water.
– Industries tend to be big users of water, so of course we contact them to help them save as much water as possible. We have a pretty good dialogue with several companies, says Andonov.
Affected areas
- Sörböle
- Sunnanå
- Anderstorp
- Centrala Skellefteå
- Norrböle
- Hedensbyn
- Sjungande dalen
- Degerbyn
- Mobacken
- Myckle
- Medle
- Bergsbyn
- Ursviken
- Skelleftehamn
- Stackgrönnan
- Örviken
- Kåge
- Ersmark
- Kusmark
- Ostvik
- Boviken
- Drängsmark