Heavy rain in the 2025/2026 winter replenished underground reservoirs, but much of the rain fell when soils were already saturated and did not allow for rainwater to permeate and fully refill aquifers.
The image below shows restrictions across France as of June 2.
Find restrictions near you
Restrictions come in four stages:
Vigilance: an early warning level aimed at encouraging water conservation, but without any restrictions
Alerte: the start of mandatory restrictions on non-essential water use, such as watering gardens or filling swimming pools
Alerte renforcée: tighter limits for households, businesses and farmers, are introduced with significant reductions in water withdrawals
Crise: The highest level, which generally bans all non-essential water use and allows water to be reserved for priority needs
In two departments – Pyrénées-Orientales and Loiret, some communes are already at ‘crise’ level. The northern Ain and Ardennes departments have areas under alerte renforcée.
Restrictions are not department-wide, but given at a local level based on specific conditions (for example, local aquifer or river basin levels).
This means limitations on household water usage can differ considerably between neighbouring communes, even if in the same department.
You can use the official VigiEau website to check restrictions in your area, using its interactive map or by typing in your address.
It provides a list of any restrictions, such as watering gardens, cleaning cars, filling up swimming pools, etc.
The website allows you to filter results through both the type of water usage restricted, and who is impacted.
Restrictions are based on three water types: tap/drinking (potable), well/borehole water (puits/forage, sometimes called nappes/eau souterraine), and river basin water (cours d’eau, riviérès, sometimes called eau superficielle).
Most people are only impacted by restrictions on potable water usage, unless having a functioning well on their property or direct access to river water.
The VigiEau website allows you to filter results for limits on household usage, for businesses, for professional agriculturers (farmers, livestock rearers), and local authorities.
