Map of water table levels in France on 1 November 2019.
© BRGM
The month of October can be considered as marking the transition between a period of water-table depletion and recharge. The trends started to reverse: the levels, which mostly decreased in September, started to stabilise in October and even began to rise again. This was due to the heavy monthly rains and less water being taken from certain aquifers.
The status of the water tables improved slightly. However, a substantial number of reservoirs remain at moderately low to low levels. The water tables have suffered from a lack of rain over the year, exacerbated by high demand during the summer. The recharge has begun but the positive effects remain slight for the moment. The levels of the water tables in the Rhône valley are still very low and need to be monitored closely.
Finally, the low-water period in 2019 is more marked than in 2018 and relatively similar to 2017. However, the early start of the recharge and the forecasts concerning the rainfall expected for the end of 2019 suggest that the recharge will take a long time.
