EPM Water Cuts Medellín 2026: 8 of 16 Streams Run Low

EPM, Medellín’s public utility, issued an alert on August 24, 2026 warning that water cuts are possible in Medellín in 2026 if dry conditions keep pushing down flows in the smaller streams that feed parts of the city’s aqueduct. Eight of the 16 minor “quebradas” that feed the San Antonio de Prado and Santa Elena aqueduct systems haven’t recovered their normal flow after weeks of scarce rain, and EPM says hours-long service interruptions could follow in some sectors if the trend continues, according to Telemedellín and Semana.

Quick answer: As of August 25, 2026, EPM has not announced a drought-driven rationing schedule for Medellín — it has issued a risk alert, not a rationing calendar. Routine, maintenance-driven service interruptions continue separately and on their own schedule, as they do year-round, and are listed on EPM’s own interruptions page. Eight of the 16 minor streams that feed the San Antonio de Prado and Santa Elena/La Cascada aqueduct systems are running low, and those are the two areas EPM is watching most closely. Check live status on EPM’s own service-interruption page, and see below for how to report a leak.

What EPM’s August 24 water alert actually says

The 16 streams behind this alert are a subset of a wider group: EPM’s smaller, non-interconnected sources — about 33 quebradas in total, including the 16 that feed San Antonio de Prado and Santa Elena — supply roughly 4% of the Valle de Aburrá’s water service, with the large majority coming from the region’s main reservoir system, per Telemedellín’s reporting. It’s that smaller, more drought-sensitive slice that’s under stress right now.

Two named streams illustrate the drop. Quebrada Doña María, which supplies the aqueduct system serving San Antonio de Prado, saw its available flow fall about 23% between May and June 2026, EPM told Telemedellín. Llave Informativa’s coverage of the same alert puts that decline window through July instead, rather than ending in June. Quebrada Santa Elena, which feeds the La Cascada system, has also weakened. EPM says it has kept pumping operations from quebrada La Bocaná running 24 hours a day since early August to prop up supply while the smaller sources recover.

EPM has not published this alert as a dated release in its own newsroom; everything above comes from Telemedellín, Semana, Llave Informativa and El Colombiano’s reporting on the utility’s statements, and the August 24 date reflects when that coverage went live rather than an EPM-stamped press release.

Why Medellín’s streams are running low

EPM’s alert ties the drop to a broader rainfall deficit. Climate analyses the utility is working from project that Antioquia will see precipitation running roughly 30% below historical averages for late August, September and October 2026, per Semana’s reporting on the alert.

That same El Niño-linked dry pattern is hitting EPM’s hydroelectric reservoirs, too: May 2026 inflows into EPM’s tributary system ran at only 53.9% of the historical average, and the utility has already trimmed hydro generation to preserve reserves, according to El Colombiano. It’s also the pattern EPM cited last week when it rolled out a save-or-pay electricity billing program — see our explainer on the new EPM electricity bill rules for 2026.

What EPM water cuts in Medellín 2026 would mean for residents

For now, EPM has not published a rationing schedule tied to this specific alert — the warning is about the risk of hours-long cuts in some sectors if flows keep falling, not a confirmed shut-off calendar. The areas EPM is watching most closely, since they depend directly on the two weakest named streams, are:

• San Antonio de Prado — served by quebrada Doña María
• Santa Elena / La Cascada corridor — served by quebrada Santa Elena

If you’re renting or buying in those areas, or your building relies on a rooftop tank rather than direct pressure, it’s worth budgeting for the possibility of scheduled interruptions this fall — one more line item alongside the broader rise in the cost of living in Medellín. It also echoes an earlier EPM infrastructure concern for residents: see our coverage of the spike in water-meter theft around Medellín.

For a sense of what a sector-level cut actually looks like in practice, EPM’s routine maintenance interruptions offer a preview: on August 12–13, 2026, EPM cut water to El Paraíso and San Antonio de Prado — one of the two areas this alert is watching — from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., a roughly nine-hour window, while it worked on network infrastructure, per RCN Radio’s reporting on that schedule. That’s not a drought-related cut, but it’s the same kind of overnight, barrio-by-barrio window EPM would likely use if flows keep falling and a rationing schedule does get published.

As a matter of basic plumbing rather than EPM guidance: buildings with a rooftop tank (tanque de reserva) typically ride out a window like that without residents noticing, since the tank buffers the interruption, while buildings on direct pressure feel it immediately. Residents in direct-pressure buildings are the ones who benefit most from keeping a few liters of stored water on hand during the dry stretch through October.

How to report a leak and save water

EPM is asking all users across the Valle de Aburrá to avoid waste, use only the water they need, and report leaks promptly rather than wait for a mandated schedule, per Semana’s reporting on the alert. To report a leak or check in with EPM directly:

• Damage or leak reports: 604 4444 115, option 2 (“Reporte de daños”), toll-free within the Valle de Aburrá, or +57 01 8000 415 115 as the national toll-free option, per EPM’s official service-channels page.
• WhatsApp: +57 302 300 0115 reaches “Ema,” EPM’s general virtual assistant. It’s useful for billing and service requests, but it is not a dedicated leak-reporting line, per the same EPM channels page.

EPM’s standing water-efficiency guidance — not specific to this alert, but consistent with it — includes keeping faucet seals in good repair, running washing machines only with full loads, and taking shorter showers, per EPM’s own efficient-use guidance.

What to watch next

EPM says it’s monitoring the 16 streams and its reservoirs directly in the field and will make operational calls — including any interruption schedule — as conditions evolve, rather than on a fixed date. Track live status through EPM’s own service-interruption page, which is the authoritative source if and when a sector-by-sector cut schedule is published. We’ll update this story with specifics if EPM confirms a rationing calendar for Medellín.

Frequently asked questions

Is Medellín rationing water in 2026?

Not as of August 25, 2026. EPM has issued a risk alert about low flows in 8 of the 16 minor streams that feed the San Antonio de Prado and Santa Elena aqueduct systems, and warned that hours-long cuts are possible in some sectors, but it has not published a drought-driven rationing schedule or shut-off calendar, per Telemedellín and Semana. Separately, EPM’s routine maintenance interruptions continue year-round and are listed on its service-interruption page — those aren’t related to this drought alert.

Which neighborhoods are affected by EPM water cuts?

EPM is watching San Antonio de Prado (served by quebrada Doña María) and the Santa Elena/La Cascada corridor (served by quebrada Santa Elena) most closely, since those two streams have weakened the most, per Telemedellín’s reporting.

How do I check if my sector has a water cut?

EPM publishes confirmed interruptions — including any that come out of this alert — on its service-interruption page. To report a leak that could be contributing to the problem, call 604 4444 115 (option 2) or message EPM’s WhatsApp assistant “Ema” at +57 302 300 0115.

This article summarizes EPM’s public statements and reporting from Telemedellín, Semana, Llave Informativa, El Colombiano and RCN Radio as of August 25, 2026 — EPM has not published this specific alert as a dated newsroom release. Figures like stream-flow percentages and rainfall forecasts are EPM’s own projections and can change as the utility gets new field data.