Denmark’s largest water supplier is asking its one million customers to cut back on water use as drought and high temperatures push consumption to crisis levels, raising the prospect of water shortages in the Copenhagen area.
HOFOR, which serves the capital region, says it’s running at full capacity and can’t guarantee enough supply if the hot, dry weather continues. The company is urging people to skip watering their lawns, use watering cans instead of hoses, and take shorter showers.
I’ve lived in Denmark long enough to know this feels strange. This is a country that has worked hard to reduce water use. Danes now consume around 97 liters per person per day, down from 172 liters in 1987. That’s a record low, and it’s less than half what Americans use. By global standards, Denmark is doing well.
So why the alarm now?
Full production, limited backup
Anne Scherfig, HOFOR’s planning director, put it bluntly in a statement on June 25. The company is currently producing water flat out. If even one treatment plant goes offline or if consumption keeps climbing, there won’t be enough to go around.
The problem isn’t average daily use. It’s what happens when summer hits. Danes water gardens, fill pools, and shower more often when it’s hot. Outdoor water use spikes. A garden hose uses 12 liters per minute. A large backyard pool can hold as much water as one person uses in six months.
HOFOR estimates that cutting just one minute from your shower saves 10 liters. Do that every day for a year and you’ve saved 3,500 liters. These small changes add up when a million people make them.
Lawns can wait, people can’t
The company’s advice is practical. Let your lawn turn yellow. It will recover when rain returns. Water flower beds and potted plants with a can, not a hose. Do it in the evening when less evaporates. Skip filling that inflatable pool. Go to one of Copenhagen’s harbor baths instead.
That advice makes sense to me. But I also know this isn’t just about showers and sprinklers. Denmark’s total water extraction fell 18 percent in 2024, largely because agriculture used less. Farming remains the biggest single user outside households. When we talk about water pressure, we’re really talking about how a finite resource gets split between cities, farms, and industry.
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Danish water is cheap at the tap. Half a liter costs about four øre. But the average household now pays around 6,100 kroner per year for water and wastewater services, up from roughly 5,900 kroner the year before. Prices have risen as utilities invest in infrastructure and meet stricter environmental standards.
Climate is changing the math
Drought wasn’t supposed to be a Danish problem. But longer dry spells are becoming more common. Groundwater recharge slows when it doesn’t rain. Demand climbs when it’s hot. Those two forces squeeze supply from both ends.
I’ve seen this dynamic play out across Europe. Southern countries already impose night watering bans and ration water to tourists. Denmark isn’t there yet. But the warnings are real.
HOFOR’s message reflects a deeper tension. Danes have cut household water use by roughly 15 percent over the past decade. They’re already efficient by international standards. Yet every summer brings the same plea: use less. For many residents, that feels contradictory. Why should we keep cutting when we’re already among the lowest consumers in the developed world?
Behavior matters more in a heatwave
The answer lies in how water systems work. Average consumption doesn’t tell you much about peak demand. It’s the spikes that strain capacity. When everyone turns on the hose at once on a hot Saturday, treatment plants struggle to keep up.
Three quarters of household water goes to bathing and flushing toilets. Food and drink account for just two percent. That breakdown shows where savings are easiest. A leaking toilet can waste hundreds of liters daily and cost up to 15,000 kroner per year if left unfixed.
I appreciate that HOFOR is being direct about the risk. But as an expat who’s watched Danish water policy evolve, I also wonder how long voluntary appeals will be enough. Other countries enforce restrictions when supplies run low. Denmark may eventually face that choice too.
For now, the ask is simple. Let the grass go brown. Use a watering can. Take shorter showers. It’s not a dramatic sacrifice. But it might be the difference between everyone having enough water and someone running out.
Sources and References
Ritzau: Tørke: Vi bruger meget mere vand end normalt – hjælp os med at spare, så der er nok til alle
