Altlasten-, Flussgebiets- und Grundwassermanagement am Beispiel des Ökologischen Grossprojekts Bitterfeld-Wolfen

Treatment of polluted groundwater, especially water contaminated by former chemical works in eastern Germany, demands extraordinary technical and financial efforts. The present article describes the relevant legal framework and points out the specific problems within the complex decision-making process in this particular field. The existing guidelines and limits for hazardous substances provided by the relevant regulations are of only limited use. Therefore, the principle of proportionality must be formulated in concrete terms with respect to treatment efforts. The report elucidates a comprehensible, transparent and legally tenable decision-making process. Finally, the requirements and intentions for groundwater treatment as formulated by directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy are presented and assessed.