During the drought period, well water must be consumed in a sustainable manner

In hot and dry summers, water extraction from wells may result problematic if water levels in the upper aquifer layers drop while demand for water consumption increases. “Many gardeners utilise groundwater for watering plants and lawns. In dry periods, though, watering the lawn should be restricted and water consumption reduced, for example by washing, to save the most vital element - the drinking water. It is especially prudent to uptake water from the shaft wells, since the they are not significantly deep, and they collect water from the shallowest layers of groundwater, which are also the first ones to remain dry,” said Ingrid Vinn, Chief Water Specialist at the Environmental Board, suggesting to use the water in sustainable manner.In the dry summer period, it is good to clean the shaft well. In a shaft well, the water quality deteriorates if the well is left uncleaned for a long time, the water consumption is low and the water is left stagnating in the well. In addition, there may be found some fallen leaves, inhabited by mice or other small animals. During the maintenance, the well is drained of water, sediment and debris and, if necessary, well rings are added to deepen the well. In this way, cleaning a shaft well contributes to both drinking water quality and water availability. To preserve the quality of drinking water and protect the well as a construction, we recommend that you commission well cleaning from any respective experts.In addition, the beginning of the summer will bring along more intense construction activities in the establishment of catchments. We use two types of wells for water supply in private houses: boreholes and shaft wells. A borehole may be constructed only on the basis of a building permit, which must be applied for with the local government body, which in turn coordinates the building permit and project with the Environmental Board. In the event of an existing building permit, it is possible to commission an establishment of a borehole for hydrogeological works from a licensed person. The list of license holders may be found on the Ministry of the Environment's website, and the existence of the license can be checked from the Registry of Economic Activities. When constructing, rebuilding and demolishing a borehole, a construction notice shall be submitted to the local government body together with the appropriate documents.•Any questions regarding the construction of a borehole are to be referred to the Environmental Board.•A local government body and the Environmental Inspectorate ought to be notified of any environmental offenses by calling 1313, the Environment Information Centre.•In the event of water scarcity problems, drinking water is managed by the local authority.More information: Ingrid VinnChief Water Specialist at the Environmental Office of the Environmental Board e-mail: ingrid.vinn@keskkonnaamet.ee telephone: 510 1355Sille AderSpokesperson for the Environmental Board e-mail: sille.ader@keskkonnaamet.ee telephone: 5745 0332