Tourrettes-sur-Loup faces water crisis after two properties drain 80% of local reserve
Tourrettes-sur-Loup is urging residents to cut water use after two properties drained almost 80% of a local reservoir supplying around 50 homes.
A water shortage is becoming a serious concern in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, where two properties used almost 80% of a local 150,000-litre water reservoir in just a few hours.
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The reservoir supplies around 50 homes in the areas of Route des Costes and Chemin des Baous.
The mayor, Frédéric Poma, is urging residents to immediately cut their water consumption and avoid non-essential uses, particularly watering gardens, filling or maintaining swimming pools and using automatic irrigation systems.
The town has already issued a fine after a gardener was caught watering a garden despite being told to stop.
Fines can reach €1,500, rising to €3,000 for repeat offences.
The mayor is particularly concerned about the weeks ahead, when Tourrettes-sur-Loup's population can rise from around 4,500 to 13,000 during the summer holiday period.
With water supplies under increasing pressure, the message from the town is clear: residents may have to accept less green gardens this summer to make sure there is enough water for everyone.