France records worst drought impact on small waterways for time of year

France is experiencing an unprecedented deterioration of its small waterways, with 43% recording disrupted flows or drying up amid a historic drought, according to data released by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), local media reported on Thursday.

As of Aug. 1, a total of 1,373 small waterways across metropolitan France and Corsica were affected, the agency said, describing it as “the most critical situation ever observed at this time of year.”

The figure represents an increase of 554 waterways compared with July 1, the French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

The data was collected through the National Low Water Observatory network, which monitors conditions at 3,230 stations across the country.

“All regions are affected,” the OFB said. Conditions have deteriorated particularly along a corridor stretching from the western Vendee department to the Grand Est region, while the drought’s impact is increasingly spreading across south-central France.

Among the worst-affected departments are Creuse, Vendee, Loire-Atlantique, Aveyron, Cote-d’Or, Nievre, Deux-Sevres and Charente-Maritime.

The situation has surpassed the severe drought of 2022, with 112 more waterways reporting disrupted flows or drying up. Overall conditions are “more than twice as degraded” as they were at the same timeframe in 2025, according to the agency.

Agroclimatologist Serge Zaka said the summer of 2026 appeared to mark a “turning point,” warning that it was becoming difficult to avoid describing the situation as an ecological breakdown for parts of France’s aquatic environments.

Drying waterways can no longer perform essential functions such as natural water purification, groundwater replenishment and freshwater provision.

Groundwater reserves are also under pressure. As of July 15, 60% of groundwater levels in France were classified as moderately low to very low, according to the French Geological Survey.

The water shortage is affecting agriculture, industry, fishing, energy production and drinking-water supplies, while repeated low-water conditions threaten aquatic species and may allow more resistant invasive species to replace native wildlife.