Map of water table levels in France on 1 August 2019.
© BRGM
Groundwater drainage continued through July and water table levels dropped across France. This is a normal situation at this time of year as infiltrating rainwater is absorbed by vegetation. However, the drop in water table levels had accelerated considerably in the two previous months.
Groundwater tables are generally below their average levels for July. These levels reflect low recharge volumes due to low and sometimes late rainfall during the autumn and winter of 2018-2019. A substantial number of reservoirs are at moderately low to low levels. Water table levels in Alsace, Burgundy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the southern part of Centre-Val-de-Loire are less than satisfactory, being low to very low and sometimes close to the minimum levels recorded for the month of July. Corsica’s alluvial water tables are the one exception, since recharge has continued thanks to above-average rainfall in May and July. Despite the drop in June and July, these water tables have therefore remained at a high level.
Finally, water table levels overall are much lower than in the previous year during the same period. The situation is nevertheless less serious than in July 2017.
