How Does Germany Clean It Sewer Lines

Overview of the water supply and sanitation in Germany

Frg: Water and Sanitation
Data
H2o coverage (broad definition)	100%
Sanitation coverage (broad definition)	100%
	100%
Average urban water use (liter/capita/day)	121 (2010)[i]
Average urban domestic water and sewer pecker	€32/calendar month [2]
Share of household metering	100%
Non-revenue h2o	7% (2001)
Share of collected wastewater treated	100%
Annual investment in water supply and sanitation	€100/capita
Share of self-financing past utilities	100%
Share of tax-financing	0%
Share of external financing	0%
Institutions
Decentralization to municipalities	Full
National water and sanitation company	None
Water and sanitation regulator	None
Responsibility for policy setting	Not conspicuously defined
Sector constabulary	None
Number of service providers	about vi,000

Public water supply and sanitation in Frg is universal and of good quality. Some salient features of the sector compared to other developed countries are its very low per capita water use, the high share of avant-garde wastewater treatment and very low distribution losses. Responsibility for water supply and sanitation provision lies with municipalities, which are regulated past us. Professional associations and utility associations play an important function in the sector. As in other Eu countries, well-nigh of the standards applicative to the sector are set in Brussels (come across European union water policy). Recent developments include a trend to create commercial public utilities under individual law and an effort to modernize the sector, including through more systematic benchmarking.

Access to h2o and sanitation [edit]

		Urban (88% of the population)	Rural (12% of the population)	Total
Water	Broad definition	100%	100%	100%
	House connections	100%	97%	100%
Sanitation	Broad definition	100%	100%	100%
	Sewerage	93%	93%	93%

Source: Joint Monitoring Programme WHO/UNICEF(JMP/2006). Data for water and sanitation based on Health for All database, WHO Regional Part for Europe (1990).

Access to prophylactic water and adequate sanitation in Federal republic of germany is universal. More than 99 percent of users are connected to a public water supply organization. The remainder is served by private wells. 93 per centum of users are connected to sewers. The remainder is continued to diverse types of on-site sanitation systems.^[3]

Water utilize [edit]

Nearly 80 percentage of public h2o use is accounted for past residential and small commercial users. The remainder is deemed for by industries supplied from public h2o systems (14 percent) and other users (6 percent).^[four]

Residential and small commercial h2o use is the 2d lowest among 14 European countries ^[v] and only a fraction of what it is in North America. Despite forecasts about increasing per capita h2o utilise, apply really declined from 145 liter/capita/twenty-four hour period in 1990 to only 121 liter/capita/twenty-four hours in 2022.^[1]

Depression h2o consumption has had some negative operational, wellness and fifty-fifty environmental impacts. On the operational side, sewers have to be flushed occasionally with injected drinking water in club to prevent stagnation of raw sewage. On the wellness side, there are concerns about potable water contamination due to low flows. On the ecology side, in some cities such as Berlin water tables are rise and cause impairment to the foundations of buildings because of decreased pumping of groundwater by utilities.^[vi]

Water resources and public water supply [edit]

The river Elbe is a source of water supply for many German cities, including Dresden which partially relies on banking concern filtration from the river

H2o is not scarce in Frg, except for occasional localized droughts. Public h2o utilities excerpt simply three percent of total renewable water resources in Federal republic of germany, or 5.4 billion cubic metres out of 182 billion cubic metres annually.^[7]

Bank filtration plant in Mainz, Germany. Extraction well on small hill visible in foreground. The Rhine is several dozen metres to the correct outside of the film.

The sources of public water supply are every bit follows:

• 65% from groundwater
• 9% from springs
• 5% from depository financial institution filtration, i.e. from wells close to rivers and lakes, drawing essentially surface water
• twenty% from surface water ^{[3] [8]}

Service quality [edit]

Water supply in Germany is continuous, at expert pressure, and drinking h2o quality is excellent, as evidenced by the universal compliance with the EU drinking water directive. Wastewater treatment is universal. 94 percent of municipal wastewater is treated according to the highest Eu standards including nutrient elimination, a much higher per centum than in France (36 percentage) or in England and Wales (39 per centum).^[9]

Consumer perceptions [edit]

According to a 2007 national survey for the business organization association BDEW^[10] (BDEW customer barometer) 92% of customers were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of their drinking h2o. 82% were satisfied or very satisfied with the service provided by their drinking water provider. 79% were satisfied or very satisfied with the service provided past their wastewater utility. The survey also showed that customers significantly overestimate the price of water and wastewater services compared to the actual price.^[eleven]

Human resource [edit]

It is estimated that the total number of those directly employed in German h2o and sanitation utilities is far more than 100,000.^[12]

Infrastructure [edit]

The length of the drinking water network in Germany is estimated to exist more than 500,000 km. The length of the sewer network in 2004 was estimated past the Federal Statistical Role to be 515,000 km, divided as follows:

• 238,000 km of combined sewers
• 171,000 km of sanitary sewers
• 106,000 km of stormwater sewers

There were nine,994 wastewater treatment plants in Frg in 2004.^[13]

Responsibility [edit]

Service provision [edit]

Public water supply and sanitation in Germany are responsibilities of municipalities, of which there were more 12,000 in 2008. Smaller municipalities ofttimes associate in municipal associations to provide water and/or sanitation services. Municipalities or municipal associations in plow tin delegate these responsibilities to municipal companies, private companies or public-individual partnerships.

There are about six,400 public water service providers and about vi,900 sanitation service providers in Germany.^[14] With a few exceptions, water and sanitation services are typically provided by unlike entities in the aforementioned locality, with sanitation bills beingness collected by the water utility on behalf of the entity in charge of sanitation.

H2o supply [edit]

Among the 1,266 larger water service providers nearly 15 percentage are municipal utilities under public constabulary (Eigenbetriebe); 16 percentage are inter-municipal utilities (Zweckverbände); 63 pct are utilities nether private or mixed constabulary either under private, public or mixed buying.;^[15] and 6 percentage are water and land associations (Wasser- und Bodenverbände). Simply 3.v pct of service providers were entirely privately owned (no figures are available on companies with mixed ownership, an increasingly prevalent form of ownership).

Sanitation [edit]

Unlike public h2o supply, sanitation is considered a sovereign core responsibleness (hoheitliche Kernaufgabe) of municipalities in Frg. This implies that, unlike water supply, it is exempt from VAT and corporate taxes. Information technology also implies that companies nether private police cannot directly provide sanitation services. The great majority of municipalities thus provide sanitation direct through a municipal sanitation section (Regiebetrieb). Less than 10 percentage of the vi,000 sanitation providers are utilities under public constabulary, and none are utilities under private law. However, municipalities or municipal utilities tin sign operating contracts (Betreiberverträge) with private companies. Out of the 900 largest sanitation service providers, about 10 percent have signed such contracts for sewerage services and 12 pct for wastewater handling services.

Examples of large h2o and sanitation service providers [edit]

The largest privately owned public water company is Gelsenwasser AG, although 92,ix% of it are yet owned by various municipalities,^[sixteen] which is a multi-utility company (water, sanitation and natural gas distribution) serving 3.2 1000000 inhabitants in North Rhine-Westphalia, under concession agreements with 39 municipalities, and many other localities throughout Deutschland and internationally.^[17]

An instance of a publicly owned big multi-utility (h2o, electricity generation and distribution, natural gas distribution) is the Mainova AG in Frankfurt.^[xviii]

The Berliner Wasserbetriebe, an Institution under Public Law (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts), is the largest communal water service provider after its remunicipalisation in 2022,^[19] serving 3.5 1000000 people with water and 3.9 1000000 people with sanitation services.^[xx]

Policy and regulation [edit]

Responsibleness for policy setting in public water supply and sanitation in Germany is shared betwixt the Eu, the federal government and land governments (Länder). (For more details on the function of the Länder and municipalities come across States of Germany) The Eu sets the framework legislation for water quality and water resource direction (see EU water policy). The system of public h2o supply and sanitation, however, remains a prerogative of Eu member states. The German states (Länder) play a key role in the sector by setting, amongst other things, the legal framework for tariff approvals. Municipalities, legally entrusted with service provision, play an indirect part in influencing policy positions related to h2o and sanitation through their influential municipal associations (the Deutsche Städtetag representing the largest cities and towns and the Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund representing smaller cities and towns).

In that location are no democratic regulatory agencies for h2o and sanitation in Germany at the state or federal level. The recently created federal regulatory agency for network industries (Bundesnetzagentur) covers telecommunication, postal services, electricity, gas and rails. It does not encompass water supply and sanitation, since information technology is a responsibleness of the states. Water and sanitation tariffs are approved through different procedures in each state, usually by a section in the state Ministry building of Economy after a review of the tariff increase request by an independent auditor. In city-states (Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen) this means that the Minister (called Senator) of Economy both requests the tariff increase in his chapters every bit chairman of the lath of the utility and likewise approves it, which constitutes a disharmonize of interest. In the case of some private utilities, tariffs are gear up by a mutually agreed arbitrator based on the professional opinion of an auditor.

Drinking h2o quality is monitored by the public health departments of municipalities and counties (Landkreise). Environmental monitoring is largely based on cocky-monitoring, which has proven to be reliable, and occasional samples by environmental Ministries of the states.

Business organization associations [edit]

Industry associations and professional person associations too play an important function in self-regulating the water and sanitation sector (verbandliche Selbstverwaltung). In early on 2007 at that place were six associations in the sector. They include two manufacture associations, the Association of Electricity and H2o Utilities BDEW and the VKU (association of municipal utilities); 2 professional associations, the DWA (professional clan for water and sanitation), BVGW (professional person association for gas and water); and ii associations specialized on sub-sectors, the ATT (working grouping of dam operators providing drinking water) and DBVW (association of land and water associations). In particular the two professional associations play an important role assisting in the development of technical norms and, more than recently, in performance benchmarking.

Contempo developments: debate on liberalization and modernization [edit]

A study commissioned in 2000 past the Ministry building of Economy suggested to liberalize the German water sector, allowing competition similar to the telecommunications and electricity sectors.^[21] The proposal met with harsh criticism, including from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the associations of municipalities, which alleged that liberalization could entail setbacks for the protection of health and the environment.^[22] The liberalization proposal was not further pursued. However, public-private partnerships continued to become more widespread and the trend towards the cosmos of individual law water utilities (commercialization) continued.

In reaction to the liberalization contend the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) passed a decision sponsored by the Dark-green party and the Social-democrats (SPD) on sustainable h2o supply and sanitation (nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft) in 2001. The decision rejected the liberalization of the water sector, simply also chosen for the merging of smaller service providers, higher competitiveness and the general modernization of the sector, including through systematic performance benchmarking.^[23] In 2005, the half dozen professional associations signed a declaration promoting benchmarking, based on a methodology developed by the International Water Association.

Efficiency [edit]

Water losses [edit]

Water losses in the distribution network take been estimated at simply seven per centum in 2001, downward from 11 percent in 1991.^[24] According to a study commissioned past the BGW losses are xix percent in England/Wales, 26 percent in France and 29 percent in Italian republic.^[25] These would not just be the lowest water losses in the four countries, just also in the earth.^[26] The written report states that its methodology allows for an authentic comparison, including water used to flush pipes and for firefighting. This is consistent with the International Water Clan's definition of non-revenue water, which includes authorized non-metered consumption such every bit for flushing and firefighting.

Benchmarking [edit]

Benchmarking has been undertaken for a long period by German language utilities, but not in a comprehensive and systematic style. In 1998 the Federal Ministry of Education and Inquiry initiated a contest of ideas to reduce the costs of water supply together with the economical research institute RWI and 14 h2o utilities. Information technology developed a set of criteria to assess strengths and weaknesses in the industry. Participating utilities say that they reduced their operating costs by almost five pct subsequently two to three years.^[27] The professional associations DVGW and DWA take jointly established a voluntary benchmarking arrangement, which keeps individual company data confidential. The associations consider the system as being highly successful.

Tariffs and cost recovery [edit]

Legal framework [edit]

By law (Kommunalabgabengesetze or Betriebsgesetze der Länder) tariffs must cover the full costs of water supply and sanitation, including majuscule replacement and the remuneration of equity. The various state laws do non foresee a review of the level of the efficiency of investments and operations as part of the tariff approval procedure. Some states also levy a resource charge for groundwater abstractions which is passed on by utilities to the consumers.^[28] There is no such a accuse for surface water abstraction, however.

Utilities too pay a wastewater discharge fee which depends on the degree of pollution of the discharged treated wastewater. The belch fee is supposed to provide an incentive to care for water beyond what is legally required (Abwasserabgabengesetz). Information technology accounts for about 3 percent of total sanitation costs.

Tariff levels [edit]

In 2004 water tariffs averaged 1.81 euro per cubic meter including VAT, and sanitation tariffs averaged 2.14 euro per cubic meter.^[29]

Co-ordinate to NUS consulting water tariffs in Germany (without sanitation) were the highest of sixteen mainly OECD countries at the equivalent of US$ii.25 per cubic meter, about on par with tariffs in Kingdom of denmark.

Even so, according to a report commissioned by the German manufacture association BGW in 2006, the average household water bill was merely 82 euro per year in Germany, lower than in French republic or in England and Wales, but higher than in Italy. The written report shows that subsidies are more than prevalent in the iii comparator countries and service levels are lower. Taking into account these differences, the cost of supplying water at an equalized service level would be 84 euros in Germany, 106 euro in both French republic and England/Wales, and 74 euro in Italian republic.^[25] The credible discrepancy between higher unit of measurement tariffs and lower bills is due to the lower water consumption in Federal republic of germany. Water tariffs accept remained stable in real terms over the past ten years.

Comparing of almanac h2o and sanitation bills per capita in four Eu countries

	Water tariff	Sewer tariff	Total
Frg	85 euro	111 euro	196 euro
England and Wales	95 euro	93 euro	188 euro
France	85 euro	xc euro	175 euro
Italy	59 euro	40 euro	99 euro

Source: Metropolitan Consulting Group: Vergleich europäischer Wasser- und Abwasserpreise, 2006 ^[25]

Concerning sanitation, unequalized tariffs are by far the highest in Germany at 111 euro per year. Equalized costs internet of subsidies are, however, highest in England and Wales with 138 euro, followed by France (122 euro), Germany (119 euro) and Italy (85 euro).

Metering [edit]

Metering is widespread in Germany and almost universal for single family homes. However, many apartments exercise non accept their own meter, so that households living in apartments where only the consumption of the entire house is metered have fiddling financial incentive to conserve water.

Investments and financing [edit]

In 2005 investments stood at 7.eight billion euros, including 5.5 billion euros for sanitation and two.three billion euros for water supply.^[thirty] Financing is predominantly through debt and ultimately through user fees. Commercial debt is issued directly by the municipalities in the form of municipal bonds (Kommunalanleihen) or by utilities. The evolution Bank KfW also provides long-term credit for up to thirty years (Kommunalkredit) for municipal investments, including h2o supply and sanitation.

According to the professional person associations of the sector there is no investment excess (Investitionsstau).

Meet also [edit]

• European union water policy
• Sodenbrunnen

Further reading [edit]

• BMU/UBA:The High german Water Sector - Policies and Experiences, 2001

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b} German Federal Statistical Role (2012-11-xviii). "Gesamtwirtschaft & Umwelt - Wasserwirtschaft - Wasserwirtschaft - Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)". Retrieved 2012-11-xviii .
2. ^ Based on an annual water and sewer bill of 196 euro per person and two persons per household. See section on tariffs for more details on water and sewer bills
3. ^ ^{a b} "Statistisches Bundesamt". Archived from the original on 2007-06-ten. Retrieved 2007-01-05 .
4. ^ Branchenbild, p. 13
5. ^ Branchenbild, p. 12
6. ^ High german Wikipedia entry on Trinkwasserverbrauch and Statistisches Bundesamt [1]
7. ^ Branchenbild, p. 8
8. ^ Branchenbild, p. xi
9. ^ Branchenbild p. 26
10. ^ https://world wide web.bdew.de/
11. ^ Branchenbild 2008, p. 27-34
12. ^ Branchenbild 2008, p. 10
13. ^ Branchenbild 2008, p. 37-39
14. ^ Branchenbild 2008, p.12-13
15. ^ ATT/BGW/DBVW/DVWG/DWA/VKU: Branchenbild der deutschen Wasserwirtschaft 2005, p. 14
16. ^ 4-traders. "GELSENWASSER : Aktionäre, Vorstände und Berufsbeschreibung | OXWWG | DE0007760001 | four-Traders". ch.iv-traders.com . Retrieved 2017-01-04 .
17. ^ Gelsenwasser AG
18. ^ Mainova AG
19. ^ Thomsen, Jan. "Berliner Wasserbetriebe BWB: Berlin kauft Wasser zurück". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2017-01-04 .
20. ^ Berliner Wasserbetriebe
21. ^ BMWi/Evers et al. 2000
22. ^ UBA
23. ^ Bundestag 2001
24. ^ Branchenbild, p. 24
25. ^ ^{a b c} BDEW Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft eastward. V.:Vergleich Europäischer Wasser- und Abwasserpreise (VEWA) Archived 2022-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, 2006, retrieved on January 8, 2022
26. ^ International Benchmarking Network
27. ^ BMBF
28. ^ Branchenbild, p. 40
29. ^ Branchenbild
30. ^ Branchenbild 2008, p. 56-57

External links [edit]

• Profile of the High german Water Sector 2022 - Summary
• UBA Federal Environmental Agency – technical agency under the Ministry of Surroundings UBA
• DVGW - An clan of professionals and utilities in gas distribution and water supply that assists the federal government in setting technical norms, providing grooming and advances the professional person development of its members DVWG
• DWA - An association of professionals in water and sanitation and water resource management that assists the federal government in setting technical norms, providing training and advances the professional evolution of its members DWA
• VKU - The clan of municipal electricity, gas, water and sanitation utilities VKU

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Germany

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