Draconian penalties for homeowners with gardens. More municipalities decide to do so
In some counties, there has been virtually no rain for weeks. Owners of gardens and tunnels have to water them intensively, which in turn causes the pressure in the taps to drop. The Linia commune has introduced a ban on watering – without risking a financial penalty, it can only be done at night and early in the morning.
The Linia commune in Wejherowo district has introduced a ban on watering gardens and filling garden pools with more than 200 liters from the municipal water supply. Failure to comply with these recommendations can result in high fines. The restrictions are the result of drought.
Ban on watering gardens in some municipalities
Anyone who has a garden knows that it should be watered in the morning or – and this is the best solution – in the evening, when the temperature drops. Excessive water consumption in these short periods of time affects the pressure and amount of water for recipients located downstream of the water intakes. Officials in the Linia commune in Wejherowo County received many complaints from residents, so they decided to take radical steps. On June 23, the mayor of the Linia commune issued an order introducing a ban on watering gardens, foil tunnels, lawns, agricultural crops and filling garden pools with more than 200 litres from the municipal water supply between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Violating the ban may result in a fine of PLN 500.
Similar bans have already been issued by, among others: Łomża (Podlaskie Voivodeship), Tomasz Mazowiecki (Łódź Voivodeship), Nieporęt (Masovian Voivodeship), Wietrzychowice (Lesser Poland Voivodeship), Pszczew (Lubuskie Voivodeship), and Wicko (Pomeranian Voivodeship).
Municipalities control septic tanks
There are more obligations that owners of detached houses must remember. We recently wrote about the amendment to the act on water and sewage management, which imposed on local governments the obligation to inspect septic tanks and submit an annual report on liquid waste. The aim of the amendment is to ensure high-quality sewage treatment in properties that are not connected to the sewage system. Estimates indicate that over 10 million Poles are not connected to the sewage system, and most of the sewage generated in them is released into the environment in an uncontrolled manner.
Municipalities have until August of this year to conduct inspections of septic tanks. Local governments face financial penalties for failing to do so. Owners of properties that are not connected to the sewage system and those that make it difficult to conduct inspections must also expect penalties.
According to the amendment, municipalities are tasked with determining how many cesspools and domestic sewage treatment plants there are in their area, as well as checking whether the owners have signed contracts for their emptying. These should be concluded with a specialized company. We write more about this in the text below.
