Ferrol activates the drought plan and prohibits swimming pools, watering, and street cleaning

The Ferrol City Council has activated the Municipal Emergency Plan regarding water management and approved a series of consumption restrictions in response to the drought alert situation. The decision was made by the Mayor’s Office via a decree signed in Ferrol on November 10, 2026, by Mayor José Manuel Rey Varela, and published in the Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña (BOP) number 216, corresponding to Wednesday, November 11, 2026, under announcement number 2026/7375.

The legal framework of the decision

The decree bases its action on the prior declaration of a drought alert situation by the competent hydraulic Administration. Based on this scenario, the Ferrol City Council acts as the Administration responsible for the population’s water supply system and dictates specific measures under the terms of Article 13 of Law 9/2019, of December 11, on supply guarantee measures during drought episodes and health risk situations in Galicia.

The resolution expressly cites the Drought Plan of the Galicia-Costa Hydrographic Demarcation, approved by agreement of the Council of the Xunta de Galicia on June 2, 2022, and published in DOG number 125, of July 1, 2022. The competence of the Mayor’s Office-Presidency to dictate this type of measure is supported by Article 124.4 ñ of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of the Local Regime.

The publication coincides in the same issue of the provincial gazette with analogous measures approved by the Valdoviño City Council via Mayor’s decree 559/2026, of November 10, 2026, announcement 2026/7370, which places the restriction within the framework of an alert affecting several municipalities in the province.

Prohibition of non-priority uses

The second point of the decree prohibits the supply of water for non-priority uses and purposes. The literal enumeration of the banned activities is as follows:

• Filling of swimming pools.
• Watering of public and private gardens.
• Watering of public and private green areas, except for what is essential.
• Street washing.
• Water features/sheets.
• Fountains for human consumption without automatic shut-off devices.
• Washing of vehicles with hoses, except in companies dedicated to said activity.
• Cooling and conditioning installations that do not have a recovery system in operation.

The prohibition covers both public and private installations, according to the wording of the decree itself, which only excludes from the watering restriction what it qualifies as “essential” and the professional washing of vehicles in facilities dedicated to that activity.

Nocturnal pressure reduction for homes and businesses

The second of the measures in the area of demand consists of the reduction of supply pressure between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM for homes and businesses. This is an action on the network that therefore affects all residents and all establishments within the municipal district, not only large consumers.

The decree does not set a completion date for the measures nor a specific reduction percentage, but rather links them to the alert situation declared by the hydraulic Administration and the applicable sectoral legislation.

Sanctioning regime and official publication

Non-compliance with the measures may be subject to sanction. For this purpose, the decree refers to the municipal ordinance and Title VII of Law 9/2010, of November 4, on the Waters of Galicia, taking into account the specificities of the sanctioning regime during drought episodes collected in Article 31 of Law 9/2019.

The fourth point of the resolution orders the publication of the text in the Official Provincial Gazette and on the transparency portal of the Ferrol City Council, so that the regulation is accessible to all citizens.

Entry into force occurs upon official publication, such that the prohibitions and the nocturnal pressure reduction are enforceable from the dissemination of the announcement in the provincial gazette.

Impact for residents and businesses

The decision directly affects domestic economy and economic activity in Ferrol: any resident with a pool, garden, or vegetable patch, businesses that wash their sidewalks, and companies with cooling equipment are subject to the new limitations, the breach of which may lead to sanctioning proceedings. The nocturnal pressure drop is added to the restriction of uses and may be noticed in homes and premises during the early morning, a time slot in which the consumption of many hospitality and industrial businesses is concentrated. The decree thus converts the drought alert into a mandatory regulation within the municipality.

Source: Official Provincial Gazette of A Coruña (BOP), no. 216, November 11, 2026, Local Administration, p. 1 (official reference: 2026/7375).