The Greens are proposing a new law to protect drinking water in Bavaria. The Bavarian water safety law aims to safeguard water from corporate exploitation, pollution, and waste, as well as from a government that fails to recognize its importance, particularly in light of climate change. Ludwig Hartmann, the parliamentary group leader, stated that the law, which will be introduced to the state parliament by Pentecost at the latest, represents a novelty in Germany and builds on existing legislation to prioritize the safety of drinking water. The Water Safety Act includes several core features like a ban on new deep water uses unless they are for public supply, the designation of 12% of the country’s area as water protection areas by 2030, and certain fees for water usage, which aim to promote conservation. Additionally, the act provides for the creation of a centralized register to monitor groundwater usage to ensure protection. Critics of the law, such as Hans Theiss, the health policy spokesman for the CSU, argue that the Greens’ approach is excessively prohibitive and fails to seek a sensible compromise, thereby penalizing companies unfairly.
München – Another new, questionable law that the Greens want to introduce…
To protect drinking water, the Greens in the Bavarian state parliament are planning a Bavarian water safety law. “Protecting our water is our top priority. We want to protect our water from exploitation by corporations, from pollution and waste and from a state government that still hasn’t understood how important it is to secure our elixir of life, water, especially in times of climate change,” said parliamentary group leader Ludwig Hartmann of the Germans Press agency in Munich. The law will be introduced to the state parliament by Pentecost at the latest.
According to Hartmann, the Water Safety Act is a novelty in Germany and forms a superstructure on existing laws. “With the Water Safety Act, we are improving several state laws and are putting the safety of our drinking water above all else.”
The green tip in Bavaria: Katharina Schulze and Ludwig Hartmann
The Water Safety Act comprises several cornerstones:
DEEP GROUNDWATER: New deep water uses should be banned. The only exception: the public supply. An admixture of deep groundwater is only permitted in special cases, which is currently the case in the Bavarian chemical triangle. “But it should remain the exception and does not release the state government from the obligation to initiate all necessary measures for the remediation of the near-surface groundwater bodies.”
WATER PROTECTION AREAS: By 2030, twelve percent of the country’s area should be designated as water protection areas. This goal is firmly anchored in the law. “We currently only have water protection areas in five percent of the state in Bavaria. That’s not enough.” Other states such as Hesse or Baden-Württemberg have designated up to 20 percent of their land area for water protection. The designation of the areas should be carried out by the district governments.
WATER FEES: If a company pumps off groundwater close to the surface, this should cost eight cents per cubic meter. If a company uses the even more valuable deep water, it should pay one euro per cubic meter of water in the future. The income can then be invested in the remediation of the groundwater bodies. In 13 out of 16 federal states, a water cent is common practice: “Commercial users are encouraged to save.”
WATER WITHDRAWAL REGISTER: There is currently no central register in the Free State that shows who is pumping how much water out of the ground and where. “It’s like the Wild West. We simply do not know how much groundwater is actually pumped out in Bavaria. Without an overview, no verification, no protection. We want to know what our most valuable common property is being used for and by whom,” says Hartmann.
Hans Theiss: “The Greens offend everyone”
Water spies in Bavaria? And again higher costs for the companies that are already tormented by the high energy prices in Germany? Hans Theiss (45), the health policy spokesman for the CSU in Munich City Hall, the green demands go far too far.
CSU politicians: Greens attack companies in the usual manner of prohibition
He told BILD: “Our groundwater is a very important asset and must be protected – it’s not for nothing that we have the best tap water in Munich. But the Greens, as always, throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead of negotiating a sensible compromise with everyone involved, they attack the companies in the usual manner of prohibition and offend everyone. Blind ideological activism with foam at the mouth has rarely solved problems.”
In conclusion, the proposed Bavarian water safety law by the Greens has sparked debates and discussions on the protection of drinking water in the state. While the law comprises several cornerstones such as banning new deep water uses, designating water protection areas, implementing water fees, and creating a water withdrawal register, some politicians criticize the new law for being too prohibitive and not considering all stakeholders involved. Regardless, the issue of protecting drinking water remains a top priority for the Greens and the state government, especially in times of climate change.