GELSENWASSER AG
GWAG
Gelsenwasser ist ein Umweltunternehmen aus dem Ruhrgebiet und in der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft tätig.
ID: 985606626942-89
Lobbying Activity
Response to European Water Resilience Strategy
4 Mar 2025
GELSENWASSER AG is one of the largest municipal drinking water suppliers in Germany. We supply water to over 2.5 million people, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia. The GELSENWASSER group is active in wastewater disposal throughout Germany. Climate change does come with enormous challenges for the supply of drinking water to people, industry, and agriculture. Thus, the resilience of water supply should be given high priority in the European Union. Saving water and using it efficiently are reasonable actions. However, much more is needed to ensure water supply. This does not only relate to the renewal and better maintenance of infrastructure in parts of Europe. Additionally systems need to be linked and strengthened through the specific construction of new storage facilities and interconnected systems. These require political support, faster approval processes, and, given the fact that these are climate adaptation measures, partial financing from the public sector. To safeguard water quality, the precautionary principle must be applied across all sectors and the polluter pays principle must be used consistently. The water supply in Europe is different within each region. Changes in precipitation, such as heavy rainfall during summer months and prolonged periods of drought, can reduce the recharge of groundwater. This can result in reduced water supply in central Europe, like the German region East Westphalia-Lippe. The differences in water availability between water-scarce and water-rich regions, like the Sauerland region, will increase. Centralized water supply is becoming more important in rural areas. The degree of connection to the piped public drinking water supply is increasing wherever this is technically and hygienically possible. This is due to small-scale, isolated water extraction from springs being significantly more susceptible to climate change than connected extraction from productive resources such as reservoirs or unconsolidated aquifers (e.g. the Haltern sands of GELSENWASSER). Private wells will be shut down to a greater extent in the future due to problems with water quality and/or quantity. The demand for process water in agriculture will increase significantly in the future. The consequences must be assessed locally. Topics such as the production of green hydrogen can place additional regional stress on the water supply. Climate change does not end at national borders. Even if the geographical locations of the member states lead to different effects, the entire EU is affected. In Germany consumption in the private sector is stable at around 120 litres per inhabitant per day. However, it is very dependent on the number of hot days in summer and can therefore rise tremendously. Necessary steps for the water supply in the future are (1) making water supply more resilient, (2) maintaining substance: renovation and modernization of water pipes, (3) interconnected systems by meshing of pipe networks, (4) measures against heavy rainfall, and (5) water reuse. The relevant political actions include: (1) protection of water quality by a cross-sectoral approach for the precautionary principle, (2) consistent implementation of the polluter pays principle, (3) implementing risk assessment using the example of the DWD, (4) sensitizing the public to the value of water, and (5) ensuring economic sustainability. Further fundamental challenges are the digitalization of administrative authorities, reducing cyber-crime risks, and the acceleration of administrative procedures as well as cutting red tape.
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