Everything's going well. Right?
Water flows reliably from our taps, and we see water around us every day in the Spree, Landwehr Canal, Havel, and Brandenburg lakes. Is there really a problem with the water supply? Moderator Mads Pankow opened the evening with this question. Frauke Bathe from the Senate Administration replied: There is no reason to panic, but in order for the supply situation to remain as it is, we need to take action and raise awareness of the need to use water more sparingly. However, the fact that the Spree is in such good condition is also due to the fact that it is dammed.
Hydrogeologist Prof. Dr. Irina Engelhardt took a much more serious view of the current situation: Until now, bank filtration—the extraction of groundwater near rivers and lakes, in which pollutants are filtered out as the water passes through the soil—has reliably secured the water supply. However, the groundwater level is falling, and the Spree in particular is heavily dependent on water supplies from Lusatia.
Structural change in Lusatia
The background: During lignite mining in the region, so-called drainage water is pumped out and discharged into the Spree—an artificial tributary that has stabilized the river system to date.
With the planned phase-out of lignite by 2038, this water source will disappear completely. This is a fundamentally positive development for the climate and the environment – but it will have significant consequences for the future water supply in Berlin-Brandenburg. According to Engelhardt, this new reality must now be thought through and planned with foresight.
Water is an issue that affects everyone
Dr. Anna-Lisa Dieter is the curator of the exhibition “On Water. WasserWissen aus Berlin” (Water Knowledge from Berlin), which opens at the Humboldt Forum in October. “What interested you about the topic of water?” asked moderator Mads Pankow. Water is an important topic in Berlin research, replied Anna-Lisa Dieter. A balance has been lost; we are currently facing both too much and too little water, and research in various disciplines is addressing this issue.