The water quality is of great importance for the Thuringians – it is checked regularly. In 2023, the control network is to become tighter.
Erfurt (dpa/th) – The quality of the groundwater in Thuringia is currently being monitored regularly at around 230 measuring points. The control should be even tighter in 2023, as the Ministry of the Environment announced on request in Erfurt. A new regulation should further improve the quantity and quality control of the groundwater. It will come into effect at the beginning of January.
In addition to the existing measuring points, data from around 1,265 tapping points of the water suppliers would then be added. The usually municipal companies would then regularly transmit test results on the quality of the raw water to the State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation in Jena. This allows more intensive monitoring and creates a more reliable data basis for possible new water protection areas, said a ministry spokesman.
Raw water is untreated, natural water. In addition to groundwater, this also includes running water and dams. The Ministry of the Environment hopes that the new regulation will also provide better information on water consumption.
Anyone who removes raw water – in addition to water suppliers, the industrial and agricultural companies – would have to measure the amount and also report it from 2024. “On this database, the available water reserves in the regions can be better determined,” said the spokesman. More precise data on the quantity and quality of the usable water are also important for the drinking water supply.
The new regulation is also an important part of the Thuringian low water strategy, which was developed in 2022 in response to climate changes and the drought of recent years. According to the ministry, 2022 could be the warmest year since weather records began and the third driest year with some of the lowest groundwater levels.
