THE Dordogne préfet has announced some changes to the water restrictions in place for agriculture, but for homeowners there is no change to the limitations they face.

In its latest press release the authorities have said that despite some rain in recent days, water levels are still not as high as they should be.

So private car owners cannot wash their vehicles, private pools larger than 20m3 cannot be refilled and gardens, lawns or potagers cannot be watered between 8h and 20h.

The initial set of water restrictions targeting homeowners came into force on 10 August, and at the time the préfet said they were expected to be in place until the end of August.

Dordogne water restrictions map

A new map has been produced by the Dordogne authorities showing which of the four different levels of alert apply to different areas of the département.

The lowest level in France is vigilance, or warning, and this means should be aware of their water use and try to conserve and not waste any water.

The next step up is alerte and this requires homeowners to reduce the amount of water they use, for example in swimming pools or if watering their gardens.

The second highest level of warning is alerte renforcée and this could see homeowners asked not to wash their cars, a ban on the water of lawns and farmers being asked not to water crops for half the week.

And the highest level is crise which places an emphasis on ensuring drinking water is available to all residents and any other use facing tight restrictions or being banned completely.

An online service is available to find out what water restrictions are in place for different parts of France.

If you have any questions about the restrictions that apply to your local area then the mairie should be your first point of contact as they will have the latest information from the authorities.

A LEADING property website says that the Dordogne has the strongest appeal for second homes located in the countryside.

SeLoger compiled search data from March 2021 to March 2022 for towns and villages in the French countryside that have at least 20 per cent of properties registered as second homes.

Their research found that 7.1% of searches through the SeLoger website were for property in the Dordogne, ahead of the Yonne département (6.7 %) found to the south of Paris and the Var (6.3%), found in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

How many second homes in France?

There are 3.6 million second homes in France, with mountain and coastal properties also popular places to buy, whilst the countryside also has its appeal.

The quiet atmosphere, cost of living and slower pace of life are just some of the factors that draw many French people to the countryside way of life, but the Dordogne seems to have a real draw on people.

The Dordogne is the second most popular location for British people living in France, coming in behind Paris.

What price is Dordogne property?

The SeLoger research goes as far as saying that Saint-Cyprien, with its Medieval church and its typical Périgordian streets, is one of the most popular villages to be searched for in the Dordogne.

With average prices in the village working out to 1,640 €/m², and an average price for property in the Dordogne coming in at around 1,488 €/m².

Online searches for Dordogne property came in the most part from residents living in Bordeaux, with searches from the city also reaching into the Lot and the Landes.

With internet access now strong across many areas of France, and télétravail proving increasingly popular the chance to take a break and work from a home in the countryside is proving very appealing.

THE Dordogne préfecture has announced the relaxation of its fire risk severity warning to modérée, from the severe risk level it announced in early August.

The change now means motorised vehicles can access and park in forested areas, previously they were banned from the forests in the afternoon to reduce the risk of accidental fires being started.

The Dordogne authorities have also said that firework displays are now authorised and that agricultural and forest workers can now work normally in wooded areas.

The préfet of the Dordogne took the decision with the support of the pompiers of the SDIS (Service Départemental d’incendie et de Secours) and asked that people still took extreme caution in the forests of the departement.

Dordogne water use restrictions

The Dordogne was not saved from effects of the blistering hot weather France has suffered from in the past few months, with around 50 fires breaking out since the beginning of August.

And despite recent heavy downpours, homeowners across the Dordogne still face water use restrictions, including a ban on topping up swimming pools and washing their cars.

The press release from the Dordogne préfecture announcing the change to modérée for forest fire risk can be read below:

OVER the past couple of days I have seen five Canadair water-bombing aircraft heading west in the direction of Bordeaux, sent to tackle the large fire in the southwestern Gironde region.

Around 7,000 hectares of forest has already been burnt in the fire, with thousands of people forced to evacuate and a thousand pompiers tasked with fighting the fire that has been described as ‘an ogre’.

Since the turn of the year more than 57,000 hectares of ground has been burnt in France, the largest amount burnt in the last 15 years.

🔥 #Incendies. 57 680 hectares ont brûlé en France depuis le début de l'année. C'est un peu plus que la superficie de Paris + du Val-de-Marne + des Hauts-de-Seine.https://t.co/q32MBVpcfC pic.twitter.com/zc9915VaU7

— Visactu (@visactu) August 11, 2022

And help has been coming to tackle the Gironde fire from beyond France, with fire fighting teams sent from other European nations and additional Canadair aircraft deployed from the EU.

Map of forest fires in France

You can get an idea of where the fires in France are by visiting the Copernicus website, which is an EU service that uses satellite technology to help member states tackle the worst forest fires.

Click on the Current Situation Viewer and you will be taken to a map of Europe showing fires across many different countries.

If you look for the options panel and then Active Fires, you will see two tick boxes that say MODIS and VIIRS, tick these.

Then on the map you will see a number of red dots highlighting the areas that are currently burning, which have been detected by two orbiting satellites.

Information on the fires is provided six times a day via the two satellites scanning the land below, and after two to three hours the mapping service is brought up to date.

France has experienced a terrible summer of forest fires, as well as drought conditions, with the authorities stressing the importance of being aware of just how easy it is for fires to start with the countryside so dry.

THE Dordogne préfet has tightened water restrictions across the département with a focus on use around the home.

From 10 August and at least until 31 August, 2022, private car owners cannot wash their vehicles, private pools larger than 20m3 cannot be refilled and gardens, lawns or potagers cannot be watered between 8h and 20h

These new rules apply to everyone across the département.

There is a total ban on watering golf courses between 8h and 20h, and the same applies to sports pitches, whilst public fountains that do not recycle the water they use will have to be turned off.

The decision to tighten water restrictions has been taken to ensure that drinking water levels are maintained, as the département and the whole of France struggles with the drought conditions.

Map of Dordogne water restrictions

A new map has also been published by the Dordogne authorities highlighting the areas that are currently under the different levels of restrictions, which is causing problems for many farmers as more of them fall under the higher levels of alert.

The full press release can be read below.