During the summers of 2018 and 2019, there was a ban on irrigation in Sala municipality for those who had municipal water.
But after more rain it now looks much better.
The water reservoir is filled and no demands for water restrictions are expected during those summers.
However, the situation was strained in 2018-2019.
- It was the lowest groundwater level we have seen in Sala municipality.
We started taking water as deep down as we had never taken before.
Since we didn't know what water we were taking up, we had very careful checks, to make sure we didn't start drawing in contaminated water that could destroy our roofs, says Mikael Viktorsson.
Depending on the groundwater
It didn't happen, but the crisis pointed to the fact that Sala only takes water from groundwater wells.
Other municipalities often take water from a lake and strain the water through the ground to then make drinking water out of it.
- We are extremely sensitive because we are completely dependent on rainfall, says Mikael Viktorsson.
Water from the Dalälven
The municipality began to look at alternatives for the future.
As a complement to how they work today, it may become relevant that Sala will take water from, for example, the Dalälven, which flows through the northern part of the municipality.
Water that can then be purified and converted into drinking water.
- In the long term, we have looked at whether we should cooperate with neighboring municipalities, or the Dalälven where we have the opportunity to obtain a water judgment and make drinking water if necessary.
Building such a facility is several years away, but there are many neighboring municipalities that have such facilities that are in operation today, says Mikael Viktorsson.