Water cuts and tanker supply: living where supply is fragile

Key rules

• Priority: Household water supply has priority over other uses in a drought.
• Planned cuts: The supplier must warn you before a planned cut, normally at least 24 hours ahead.
• Compensation: You can claim only for supplier fault; cuts from a declared drought normally give no compensation.
• Local rules: Each basin, region and town hall sets its own measures, so read the local texts.

The short answer

In some towns, water can be cut at night, supplied at low pressure or brought by tanker. Household supply has priority over other uses, so drought rules hit gardens, pools and street cleaning first. You can protect yourself by checking the area before you commit to a home.

Who can restrict water, and on what basis

Water law lets the government and the river basin authority (confederación hidrográfica) limit water use in an exceptional drought. Each basin has a drought plan with four scenarios: normality, prealerta, alerta and emergencia. Each scenario brings stronger measures.

National or regional decrees declare the drought. Then your town hall's ordinance and the water utility's rules apply the bans, such as no garden watering, no pool filling and no street washing. They can also reduce pressure or cut supply. Every basin, region and town sets its own measures, so read the local texts.

Where it has happened

• Catalonia: especially the Ter-Llobregat system and the Girona and Empordà areas in 2023-2024.
• Andalusia: the Axarquía in Málaga, Campo de Gibraltar, parts of Almería and Huelva, and towns in the Pedroches in Córdoba province.
• The Balearic and Canary Islands, in some municipalities.
• Small villages in Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Galicia in dry summers.

The wet spring of 2025 eased many areas. Ask your town hall for the current situation, because it changes with the season.

Tanker supply

Water supply is the town hall's job. In villages without reliable network supply, it normally arranges tankers (camiones cisterna) to refill village tanks or fountains. Provincial and regional governments often help pay. Residents usually pay nothing extra or just the normal tariff. If you order a private tanker for your own home, you pay for it.

Your rights when water is cut

• Planned cut: the supplier must warn you in advance, normally at least 24 hours before, through the media or notices.
• Breakdown: the supplier must restore service quickly.
• Drought restriction: it must be announced publicly.
• Non-payment: you must get formal notice and a delay period first, and vulnerable households have extra protection.

If the supplier is at fault and you suffer damage, you can claim, and you may get a bill reduction. Cuts caused by a declared drought or force majeure normally give no compensation. Notice periods and compensation depend on your region's rules and your contract, so check both. Start with the utility's customer service, then your town hall's consumer office.

How to check a home

Use the checklist below. The key points are to ask the town hall and the utility about past cuts, the water source and the drought level. Also confirm the home has a public connection, a meter and a contract. In a rural home with a well or tank, ask for the papers that prove the right to the water. Be careful where building has grown faster than the water supply.

If you are thinking of buying, do these checks before you pay a deposit. Renters should do them before signing.

Timeline and deadlines

• Drought restrictions: the council or basin body must announce them publicly: before the restriction starts

• Breakdown cut: the supplier must restore service quickly: as soon as possible after the breakdown

• Cut for non-payment: you must receive formal notice and a delay period: before any cut for unpaid bills

Documents you need

• Water supply contract in the owner's name, showing the home is connected to the public network with a meter.

• For a rural home with a well or tank: the papers that prove the right to use that water.

• Your town hall's ordinance on water restrictions, which lists the bans and measures that apply in the area.

Checklist

• Ask the town hall and the water utility whether the area has had cuts, low pressure or tanker supply.

• Ask what the water source is: reservoir, aquifer, desalination or a local well.

• Ask which drought level the municipality has been in.

• Read the drought reports from the river basin authority (confederación hidrográfica) and the town's restriction ordinances.

• Ask neighbours and the community of owners about summer cuts.

• Find out whether local building has grown beyond what the water supply can serve.

• Check whether the area is one where cuts, night-time pressure drops or tankers have happened recently, such as Catalonia, Andalusia, the islands or small inland villages.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays when a tanker delivers water to a village?

Residents usually pay nothing extra or just the normal tariff, because the town council normally organises the tankers. Provincial and regional governments often fund or co-fund them. If you fill a private tanker for your own home, you pay for it yourself.

Can I get compensation if my water is cut during a drought?

Usually no, because cuts caused by a declared drought or force majeure normally give no compensation. You can claim for damage caused by the supplier's own fault, and may get a bill reduction. Cuts for non-payment need formal notice first, and vulnerable households have extra protection.

Does household water get priority over other uses in a drought?

Yes, household supply has priority over other uses, and restrictions must follow the declared drought level. Bans such as garden watering, pool filling or street cleaning usually come first. Your town's own ordinance sets the exact measures.

Which areas of Spain have had cuts or tankers recently?

Parts of Catalonia, Andalusia, the Balearic and Canary Islands, and small villages in Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Galicia have had them. Many areas eased after the wet spring of 2025, so ask locally about the current situation before you buy.