Lower limits for certain heavy metals, replacement of old lead pipes and testing for more pollutants: Stricter rules for drinking water from the tap will come into force in Germany on Saturday. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau announced on Friday that the amendment to the Drinking Water Ordinance thus implements important European requirements for drinking water protection. She ensures that the water can continue to be used without hesitation and without any health risks.
Among other things, the new regulation states that old lead pipes must be replaced or decommissioned by January 2026. In Germany, however, water pipes made of lead are hardly a problem anymore. In addition, limit values for the heavy metals chromium, arsenic and lead would be lowered. According to the Federal Environment Agency, drinking water will also be tested for the industrial chemical group of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the future.
The group of chemicals includes an estimated more than 10,000 individual substances that are processed in everyday products such as anoraks, pans and cosmetics. They are also used in industrial processes. Because they are extremely persistent, PFAS are also called perpetuity chemicals. There are efforts, including by Uba, to largely ban the group of chemicals at EU level.
Even before the revision of the Drinking Water Ordinance, tap water was considered a very safe food in Germany. Consumer advocates explicitly advise drinking water from the tap, also because it is very cheap and climate-friendly compared to bottled water.
Water shortage in Brandenburg
In the meantime, in view of increasing water shortages and drought, Brandenburg is looking for new ways and savings ideas to ensure the water supply in the future. According to Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), the construction of long-distance pipelines to transport drinking water over longer distances is under discussion. According to a study, there is a risk of supply bottlenecks in the greater Berlin area in particular.
The drought in the ground continues to reach a depth of 1.80 meters, said Vogel on Thursday in a debate in the state parliament in Potsdam. Water scarcity and therefore distribution conflicts are increasing. Green parliamentary group leader Benjamin Raschke said: “We have to be much more careful with water.” Brandenburg in particular is a “climate hotspot”. The federal state is considered one of the driest and warmest regions in Germany.
Markus Wehner, Berlin Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 23 Katja Gelinsky, Berlin Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 Anne Kokenbrink Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 10
Some municipalities nationwide are already reacting with bans on lawn sprinkling and garden pools. There are also restrictions in Brandenburg: the city of Brandenburg an der Havel prohibits water withdrawal from surface waters by pumping or diversion until the end of September. In the community of Panketal on the outskirts of Berlin, people are not allowed to water their gardens or fill pools at certain times from April to September. And for the Black Elster river, the transnational working group “Extreme Situation” has been convened again.