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About us- Drinking water supply
Groundwater protection
Resource protection
More than 40% of the territory of Berlin is covered by green areas and lakes or rivers. The areas used for extracting water are subject to special protection and are classified as water protection areas.
230km² alone are currently under water protection. Added to these are landscape and nature conservation areas that in some cases overlap the water protection areas, so that in total, around 1/3 of the total city area is protected due to these ecological aspects.
A large number of industrial sites are located on rivers and lakes and in the immediate vicinity of waterworks. Most of the water protection areas on the Havel, Spree and Dahme are at the same time recreational areas for the people of Berlin. There are tens of thousands of boats, and the people swim and surf there. Here we have to rely on the common sense of the Berliners.
Depending on the distance from the well, any use of the water or activities in or on the water in the water protection areas are either completely prohibited or are permitted only with special authorisation. The areas consist of three protection zones, a wider protection zone (Zone III), a closer protection zone (Zone II) and the “well head protection area” (Zone I)
The water protection zones
The water protection areas comprise three protection zones. But how large are they? And what exactly is forbidden in these zones? Only by knowing the answers to these questions can you act responsibly and protect Berlin’s water. Here is a brief overview:
Zone I: The well head protection area
Size:
This is an area with a width of 10 metres to both sides of a row of wells.
Forbidden:
Any form of use and any intervention in the upper soil stratum, in particular any contamination in the immediate vicinity of a groundwater extraction installation. The only exceptions are maintenance work on wells or replacements of wells by Berliner Wasserbetriebe.
Zone II: The closer protection zone
Size:
This zone covers a diameter of at least 100m around the wells. It serves to protect the hygiene of the groundwater, and in particular as protection against pathogens, i.e. contamination that could cause illness.
Forbidden:
Any form of use requiring the permanent presence of persons and animals or that removes or destroys the upper soil stratum. This includes:
- Construction or enlargement of buildings
- Excavation work
- Transport and storage of water contaminating fluids and of building rubble and refuse
- Commercial animal husbandry
- The use of natural fertilisers, as well as weed killers, pest control agents and crop protection agents, and
- The construction of camp sites, car parks and boat piers.
Zone III: The wider protection zone
Size:
This zone protects the area within a radius of 2.5 km from the wells.
Forbidden:
Anything that could lead to the contamination or taste impairment of the groundwater. This includes in particular the discharge of wastewater, coolants and condensates and also rainwater (except rainwater from roofs) into the subsoil.
