Water supply in danger? Citizens' meeting clarifies important questions!

Water supply in danger? Citizens' meeting clarifies important questions!

Today, November 19, 2025, the community of Langenerling invites you to an important citizens' meeting. This will take place at 7 p.m. in the Langenerling fire station, and all citizens are cordially invited to take part. The agenda includes a report from the mayor and a presentation from representatives of the water management office who will address the current challenges with stormwater. The meeting also offers the opportunity for citizens to ask the speaker questions.

Germany is facing a crucial turning point in the water management sector, which is primarily caused by climate change. This leads to extreme supply peaks and drastically changes the water balance. As the BDEW (Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry) states, public water supply and wastewater disposal are central tasks of public services. The responsibility for this lies with the municipalities, which can choose different forms of organization for water management. In order to ensure a safe and high-quality service, uniform quality standards are essential.

Challenges and areas of action

The challenges posed by climate change require comprehensive adaptation measures in water management. The central areas of action identified by the BDEW include the modernization of water management law and the rapid implementation of the EU directive on municipal wastewater management. In addition, reducing the effects of PFAS and enforcing the precautionary and polluter pays principle to reduce pollutants is of great importance.

The national water strategy is also a high priority. This includes concrete measures to reduce nitrate pollution and to promote the circular economy, especially with regard to sewage sludge and phosphorus recycling. In order to ensure a reliable water supply in the future, climate-neutral technologies must be implemented without affecting the water supply.

The influence of climate change

An example of the challenges posed by climate change is the dry year of 2018, which represented a stress test for the water supply in Germany. Long periods of drought and high temperatures led to a significant increase in water demand and temporary record levels in daily water consumption. In a DVGW discussion that took place on January 23, 2019, representatives of 20 water suppliers exchanged views on the effects of these extreme weather events and identified an urgent need for action to improve security of drinking water supply.

Since extreme dry periods and several consecutive dry years are expected in the future, water suppliers must ensure that they have sufficient system reserves and redundancies. In addition, emergency preparedness requires clear planning of responsibilities and more effective coordination between water suppliers, municipalities and disaster control.

Today's meeting will be an important opportunity for the citizens of Langenerling to find out about these issues and ask questions. The challenges ahead in water management are complex, and constructive exchange between the community and experts from the water management office plays a crucial role in overcoming these tasks.