Heat causes water shortages in German regions - water master explains the situation in Freising

Created: 05/08/2022, 17:00

By: Manuel Eser

Despite the nationwide heat and drought, drinking water gushes out of the Freising taps.

Florian Neumeier, water manager at Freisinger Stadtwerke, emphasizes that the city does not suffer from water shortages.

The chambers of the works are continuously filled with the precious commodity from the seven wells.

© Lehmann

Due to the heat wave, there are some regions in Germany where drinking water is becoming scarce.

And what about Freising?

Freising

– It is the most precious commodity in the world: water is the basis of all life.

However, due to the great heat and persistent drought, several regions in Germany are already sending SOS because groundwater – and therefore also drinking water – is becoming scarce.

In Freising, too, it has rained much less frequently and in much smaller quantities in the past eight weeks than in the previous year.

This is shown by the data from the Weihenstephan-Dürnast weather station.

Nevertheless, the good news from Florian Neumeier, water manager at Freisinger Stadtwerke: "In Freising we are in the fortunate situation that we do not suffer from water shortages." Various geological factors contribute to this, for example the sand-lime brick in the Freising soil, which has a high has permeability and conducts water well.

Municipal utilities are looking for suitable areas for additional wells

Three shallow and four deep wells ensure a secure water supply for Freising.

To ensure that this is also the case for future generations, the municipal utilities are already intensively looking for suitable areas for additional drinking fountains.

"We are currently carrying out various exploratory measures in the Freisinger and Kranzberger forests," reports Florian Neumeier.

"We have to see where we can tap water of the appropriate quality and in sufficient quantities."

A general refurbishment and expansion of the waterworks in Vötting is also being planned.

There, the systems are to be modernized and reorganized in order to expand the capacities of the shallow wells, among other things.

Climate change threatens water security

After all, climate change is already presenting water suppliers with major challenges.

There are already studies that have come to the conclusion that the groundwater is also warming with global warming, as Florian Neumeier reports.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

And he is also concerned about the increasing number of heavy rain events: "Because the more heavy rain there is, the more surface runoff there is and the less can seep through."