Measures to protect the water balance due to above-average drought

On August 8, 2019, the city of Gera issued a general ruling restricting public use for the withdrawal of water from surface waters due to previous prolonged dry weather conditions. This  General ruling has not yet been revoked and is therefore still valid. The reason for this is that the water supply of surface waters has not yet regenerated sufficiently after several dry years. The predominantly dry weather conditions in the summer months have continued this year. In the months of May to July this year, the amount of precipitation in the Gera area was once again below the long-term average. This dry and warm to hot weather resulted in critically low water levels in some areas. Short-term heavy precipitation cannot compensate for these deficits.

As a result, the issuing of the general ruling restricts public use for the abstraction of water from surface waters of the second order. The following regulations and instructions must be observed accordingly:

With the exception of the Weiße Elster, it is prohibited to draw water from surface waters in the city of Gera. Exceptions are the watering of livestock and the drawing of water with hand containers within the scope of so-called public use.

Permits under water law that allow water to be taken from surface waters (by means of pumps) have been revoked for a limited period until the general decree expires.

An exception is the withdrawal of water in the event of an emergency, e.g. for fire-fighting purposes by the fire department.

The lower water authority would like to take this opportunity to point out that the withdrawal of water from surface waters by means of pumps is a water use that generally requires a separate permit under water law.

The lower water authority and the responsible Weiße Elster/Saarbach water maintenance association carry out inspections of the watercourses as part of watercourse supervision. With reference to the information in the general decree, violations of this general decree constitute an administrative offense that can be punished with a fine of up to € 10,000 in individual cases.

Some water uses therefore also require separate permits or approvals.

In Gera, in addition to the Weiße Elster as a first-order watercourse, there are 48 named streams as so-called second-order watercourses with a total length of approx. 128 km. Parts of the city are also located in floodplains in which certain prohibitions and restrictions must be observed. The relevant maps can be viewed by anyone at the lower water authority by prior appointment or at https://tlubn.thueringen.de/wasser/ueberschwemmungs-und-hochwasserrisikogebiete.

In detail, the lower water and soil protection authority is responsible for the following areas:

Surface water/water supervision

Drinking water and flood plains

Wastewater disposal/precipitation water

Groundwater protection/wells

Soil protection

Areas of responsibility

Surface water/water supervision

• Issuing permits/authorizations for the use of surface waters (e.g. water extraction with pump, damming of a surface water, expansion or relocation of a watercourse).
• Issuing of permits for structural installations (e.g. buildings, enclosures, discharge structures, bridges/culverts, pipe laying, walls/embankments) on, in, under or above surface waters and in the area of the watercourse edge strip. The watercourse edge strip is 5 m within built-up areas and 10 m on the land side of the upper edge of the embankment of the watercourse in outlying areas.
• Determination of regulatory measures within the scope of water supervision or water inspection on surface waters and in floodplains.
• Acceptance of reports or notifications of detected water pollution
• Determination of measures within the framework of water pollution control to avert danger

Substances hazardous to water

Substances hazardous to water are solid, liquid and gaseous substances or mixtures of substances that are capable of adversely affecting the physical, chemical or biological properties of water in the long term and not just for a short time.

These include solvents, mixtures containing mineral oil (diesel fuel, gasoline, ...), residues containing mineral oil (waste oils), plant treatment agents, heavy metals (e.g. cadmium, mercury), halogenated hydrocarbons, acids, alkalis, PCBs, etc.

Substances hazardous to water are divided into 3 water hazard classes (WGK) depending on their hazard potential:

          WGK 1 = slightly hazardous to water (e.g. coolant)
          WGK 2 = hazardous to water (e.g. heating oil, diesel fuel)
          WGK 3 = highly hazardous to water (e.g. waste oil)

The range of system types extends from the public filling station or chemical storage facility of an industrial company to the privately used heating oil tank in the basement of a detached house. There are also facilities for the storage of liquid manure, slurry, silage slurry and manure in agriculture.

Special technical requirements apply to the storage, transfer, production or use of these substances.

According to § 40 of the Plant Ordinance (AwSV), the installation, assembly, maintenance, operation and significant modification of plants for handling substances hazardous to water must be reported to the lower water authority at least 6 weeks before the start of construction or the intended action.

Drinking water and flood areas

• Decisions on measures in designated floodplains that require approval
   
• Determination of measures within the scope of water supervision of surface waters, groundwater, water protection areas
   
• Water supervision in groundwater areas and water protection zones

Wastewater disposal/precipitation water

• Issuing permits for the discharge of wastewater, including precipitation water, into surface waters and through infiltration
   
• Issuing permits for the discharge of commercial wastewater into public wastewater systems
   
• Issuing permits for the use of groundwater (e.g. water extraction, re-injection)
   
• Decisions on applications for exemptions from prohibitions in water protection areas (e.g. for sewage treatment plants, wastewater transfer, building and civil engineering work within water protection zones III or II or I)