about a mile east of Ronneby is located Leråkra waterworks. Here about 15,000 of Ronneby municipality’s 30,000 residents their drinking water. A high gallerstängsel with energized electric wires at the top to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the area. Inside the fence there is a blue container filled with water tanks. A result of extremvädret 2018 when the groundwater levels in Ronneby, the municipality was the disappearance of the low.
“In July we saw that the groundwater levels dropped all the time and there was no rain, and the few drops that came, we could not understand us either,” says Ida Schyberg, head of department at the municipal water and wastewater company Environmental technologies.
the municipality therefore bevattningsförbud, a ban that was lifted only this week. But 2018 was a ytterligheternas year – at the beginning of the year, it was hardly dry you were worried about in Ronneby, without flooding.
– Then we had the crisis team in time for that there was too much water. In January and February, there was so much water in the river Ronnebyån and all the rivers around here that we were afraid that there would be serious flooding. 2018 was really a extremår, ” says Anders Engblom, security officer at the municipality.
The ensuing drought meant an extremely high fire risk at the same time that many farmers and pet owners had little feed for their animals.
“We handled all the issues in parallel and so it was bad with the water, it all hangs together,” says Anders Engblom.
is extreme in a different way. In 2013 it was discovered a toxic substance pfas in one of the municipality’s largest water source, the Brantafors just outside Kallinge, which provided approximately 5,000 people with water. Defence emergency assistance on the F17’s wing in the vicinity had used the brandskum containing pfas, and that then polluted the water. This meant that the municipality was forced to look for new water sources at the same time as the water supply became extra vulnerable.
But at the same time, believe Anders Engblom and Ida Schyberg, it also meant that the entire municipality understood that this with access to drinking water is not something obvious and an awareness of what the challenges and risks you can face.
“It did that you became aware of how easy it can go wrong,” says Anders Engblom.
In the summer was bought about 40 water tanks for around a half a million dollars. Where they will be at a potential water shortage is determined. It has also compiled a nödvattenplan where you made an inventory of how large the consumption of water is on the preschools, nursing homes and other municipal operations and how the water should ransoneras the case of an emergency. The only thing missing right now is people who can monitor the vattenutlämningen.
– We have places and we have the material, but it is a food, and then you need a guard or someone that is there and can serve. It is the weak point right now. But we hope that civilförsvarsföreningen can help us, ” says Anders Engblom.
in the municipality of completely different compare to just six months ago. Precipitation has come in the last few months at the same time as a new water source just to be opened up. At the same time, aware of how quickly everything can change.
– the moment the situation is stable and we have now started Karlsnäs, a new water source, and then we expect to be able to increase the amount of water we distribute, then hang it all on what the summer will be. So it is, ” says Ida Schyberg.
– the Sun in the daytime and rain at night, ” says Anders Engblom.
