2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

GERMANY PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
In Western Germany, there have been legal moves to force water charges down in North Rhine-
Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Wurttenburg. There is considerable resistance to further EU laws,
because of the current high cost of water provision and sewerage services. In 1999, the State of
Hess lowered water fees charged by Sudheissische Gas und Water AG, the municipally held water
provider. The average household will pay DM745 as a result, some DM90 less than in 1998.
Groundwater
Total recharge (1998, km 3 ) 45.7
Per capita (1998, m 3 ) 555
Withdrawals (1990, km 3 ) 8.0
For domestic use (1975) 49%
For industry (1975) 48%
For agriculture (1975) 44%
Since unification in 1990, household water consumption in Western Germany has fallen by 20%, with
usage in Eastern Germany falling by 50%. In Berlin, for example, per capita usage has dropped
another 10L to just 117L per day. As seen in Nordhauser, conserving water brings its own costs.
Water consumption in the former Eastern German town has fallen by 50% to 80L per capita per day
(pcpd) since reunification. As a result, their bills are rising. This paradox has arisen because the
water distribution system is designed to operate by providing 220L pcpd, thereby getting water
through its pipes in an optimal time. The excess remaining in the system means that extra spending
is needed in order to keep bacterial levels down.
MAJOR URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS
Population 2000 2015 Status
Aachen 1,060,000 1,070,000 N/A
Berlin 3,319,000 3,320,000 BWB privatised in 1999
Bielefeld 1,294,000 1,310,000 N/A
Bremen 880,000 886,000 Sewerage privatised
Rhein-Rhur South 3,054,000 3,089,000 N/A
Rhein-Rhur 3,233,000 3,335,000 N/A
Middle
Rhein-Rhur North 6,531,000 6,554,000 N/A
Rhein-Main 3,681,000 3,718,000 Privatisation under consideration
Hamburg 2,664,000 2,683,000 HWW corporatised
Hannover 1,283,000 1,291,000 N/A
Karlsruhe 977,000 988,000 N/A
Rhein-Neckar 1,605,000 1,621,000 MVV part privatised in 1998
Munich 2,291,000 2,317,000 N/A
Nuremberg 1,189,000 1,204,000 N/A
Saarland 891,000 892,000 N/A
Stuttgart 2,673,000 2,703,000 N/A
Principal cities in the five regional agglomerations:
Rhein Main Darmstadt and Frankfurt am Main
Rhein Neckar Mannheim
Rhein Rhur Middle Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach
Rhein Rhur North Duisburg and Essen
Rhein Rhur South Bonn and Cologne
98 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006