25,000 people affected

Drinking water still undrinkable in 26 municipalities

The affected households had to switch to mineral water, as the contamination was caused by the heavy rainfall.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

After the heavy rainfall in mid-September, around 25,000 people in Upper Austria still have to look for alternatives - the water is not suitable for consumption. However, it is unclear how long the contamination will last.

"Slowly but surely, I can no longer see the mineral water," says one person in despair. Following the heavy rainfall in Upper Austria in mid-September, thousands of households still have to boil their tap water for at least three minutes before drinking it - or switch to mineral water. Specifically, there is - at least partial - contamination in 26 municipalities in Upper Austria.

Restored in ten municipalities
"So far, systems in a total of 36 municipalities have been affected. Perfect drinking water quality has been restored in ten municipalities and the water has been released to consumers. I hope that the restrictions will only last a few more days," said the responsible provincial councillor Stefan Kaineder (Greens) to the "Krone".

The result is expected on Thursday
One of the "contaminated" municipalities is Bad Leonfelden in the Upper Mühlviertel. Around a thousand households there currently have no drinking water. The municipality is currently carrying out its own checks and the results of the water samples sent in by AGES are expected on Thursday. Then it will be possible to say what will happen to the water. 

The local health resort Vortuna makes it clear that "thanks to our own safety precautions and ongoing checks, which only take place at Vortuna Bad Leonfelden", the water quality has been at the highest level for years. "Even in this current situation, we have been able to guarantee the best, flawless drinking water quality through laboratory tests," they assure.

Water has a chlorine taste
In Alberndorf, Mayor Martin Tanzer assumes that the water will remain undrinkable for another one to two weeks. In cooperation with the Red Cross, clean drinking water has been served to the population for days. "The water still has a chlorine taste, I don't drink it. The first two days there was a shortage of mineral water in the supermarket, after that it wasn't a problem," says Gerhard Dittrich from Großraming, who is waiting for the water to be released for drinking.