Map of groundwater table levels in France on 1 October 2019.
© BRGM
During the month of September, depletion continued and most levels dropped. The September rains only affected the reactive aquifers on the Mediterranean coast. The fall in levels accelerated sharply at the end of the summer in sectors that had experienced a rainfall deficit combined with heavy demand. In September, the inertial aquifers were still affected by the summer rainfall deficit combined with heavy demand.
A substantial number of reservoirs are at moderately low to low levels. These levels reflect low recharge volumes due to low and sometimes late rainfall during the autumn and winter of 2018-2019, coupled with heavy demand for groundwater during the summer. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and southern Centre-Val-de-Loire aquifers show levels that require more frequent monitoring.
Finally, water table levels overall are much lower than at the same time in the previous year. The 2019 low-water level is expected to be comparable to or more severe than the 2017 low-water level.
