Spain's swimming pools feel the heat as water supplies dwindle

A view shows the municipal swimming pools of Montjuic, as the supply of drinking water has fallen to its lowest level since 1990 due to extreme drought, in Barcelona, Spain May 7, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

VACARISSES, Spain (Reuters) - Many people were drawn to the town of Vacarisses near Barcelona in the 1970s by the suburban dream of homes with large gardens and swimming pools to provide respite during long, hot summers.

But now that lifestyle is under threat as a severe drought forces authorities to reach for increasingly stringent measures to conserve water, including restrictions on filling pools.