Safe water in Germany: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. In Germany's large supply areas, over 99% of measurements meet the requirements for most parameters ¹. If your tap water may harm health, your local health office (Gesundheitsamt) orders the necessary measures and must make sure affected consumers are informed without delay ⁷⁸; warnings also come through the federal warning system ²³. The BBK advises storing 2 litres of water per person per day, for 10 days if possible ³.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

Under the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV), the Gesundheitsamt orders the measures needed when drinking water may harm health, which can include restricting its use ⁷. It must ensure that affected consumers are informed without delay, with health advice and instructions on using the water, online and additionally by other means when urgency requires it ⁸. We found no single national list of boil-water orders (Abkochgebot) to check. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) names two contacts for questions about your tap water: the competent Gesundheitsamt and your water supply company ¹. Every water supplier, whatever its size, must regularly inform its customers with current information on the quality of the water it delivers, and many publish their latest analysis results online ¹.

Official warnings are also published on warnung.bund.de and in the BBK's NINA warning app ²³. Install a warning app ahead of time; the BBK's own checklist lists "Warn-App installiert (wie NINA)" ³. See our Germany alerts page for how warnings reach you.

If you are told to boil water or not to drink it, follow the local instruction. For what each kind of notice means in practice, read What to do during a boil-water notice and Do-not-drink notices.

How much water should I store?

The BBK figure is 2 litres per person per day, of which 0.5 litre is for cooking ³. Households should be able to supply themselves for 10 days if possible, and even a 3-day supply already helps a lot ³. The BBK explains why: water works need electricity and digital systems, and without them the water supply fails ³. Full figures are on our Germany emergency supplies page; for storage and rotation, see How much water to store per person per day?.

Is Germany short of water?

Not in the way arid countries are, but not risk-free either. In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, the median of German cities (weighted by population) falls in the "medium to high" category for current water stress, stays "medium to high" in the 2050 business-as-usual projection, and is "medium" for drought risk ⁴. These are city medians: a given town or river basin can sit higher or lower.

To follow current conditions, the UFZ Drought Monitor (Dürremonitor) publishes daily, Germany-wide maps of soil moisture and drought ⁵. For household steps, see Drought preparedness.

What if I have a private well?

The UBA advises having the water from your own well or spring analysed regularly to find out whether it contains pollutants or pathogens, and names the Gesundheitsamt as the first point of contact for questions about your well ⁶. For what to do when a well may be contaminated, see Private well emergencies.

What should I do after a flood?

Follow the instructions of your Gesundheitsamt or water supplier on tap water ¹, and see Water safety after a flood. A household plan can put your water stock, warning app and local contacts in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Who orders a boil-water notice in Germany?

The local Gesundheitsamt orders the measures and must make sure affected consumers are informed without delay ⁷⁸. The UBA also points consumers to the Gesundheitsamt and the water supplier for information on tap water ¹.

How much water does Germany recommend per person?

2 litres per person per day, 0.5 litre of it for cooking; for 10 days that is 20 litres per person ³.

Can I check drought conditions where I live?

Yes. The UFZ Drought Monitor shows daily maps of soil drought across Germany ⁵.

Is tap water in Germany safe to drink?

In large supply areas, over 99% of measurements meet the requirements for most parameters ¹. Lead problems are found mainly at the consumer's tap and point to old lead pipes in the building ¹.

Sources

1. Umweltbundesamt (UBA) — Daten zur Trinkwasserqualität — https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/wasser/trinkwasser/trinkwasserqualitaet/daten-zur-trinkwasserqualitaet (accessed 2026-10-27)
2. Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Warnmeldungen – warnung.bund.de — https://warnung.bund.de/ (accessed 2026-10-27)
3. Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK) — Vorsorgen für Krisen und Katastrophen (2. Auflage, Stand 11/2025) — https://www.bbk.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Mediathek/Publikationen/Buergerinformationen/Ratgeber/BBK-Vorsorgen-fuer-Krisen-und-Katastrophen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=44 (accessed 2026-10-27)
4. World Resources Institute (WRI) — Aqueduct 4.0 (water stress, 2050 projection and drought risk) — https://www.wri.org/aqueduct (accessed 2026-10-27)
5. Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ) — Dürremonitor Deutschland — https://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=37937 (accessed 2026-10-27)
6. Umweltbundesamt (UBA) — Gesundes Trinkwasser aus eigenen Brunnen und Quellen — https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/gesundes-trinkwasser-aus-eigenen-brunnen-quellen (accessed 2026-10-27)
7. Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) — Trinkwasserverordnung (TrinkwV), § 63: Anordnungen von Maßnahmen des Gesundheitsamts zur Gefahrenabwehr — https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/trinkwv_2023/__63.html (accessed 2026-10-27)
8. Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) — Trinkwasserverordnung (TrinkwV), § 67: Information der betroffenen Verbraucher — https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/trinkwv_2023/__67.html (accessed 2026-10-27)