Continuously tested food

"Leave no one behind - water and sanitation for all" is the motto of the United Nations World Water Day this year. This day has been going on for 25 years and it takes place every year on the 22nd of March. The motto of 2019 is to highlight the importance of access to clean water around the world. For Landshuter, however, clean water is a matter of course due to the supply of public utilities.

The Landshut water, which is mainly pumped at the Siebensee pumping station, is constantly being tested by an independent laboratory. In 2018, 218 parameters such as pesticides, heavy metals and nitrate were analyzed in 2042 individual analyzes. The measured values are regularly well below the legal limits and are not detectable for certain parameters or are below the limit of quantification. "The water pumped by Stadtwerke Landshut is of the highest quality and can be safely consumed from the tap," says plant manager Armin Bardelle.

Basically, the quality of the water depends on the nature of the substrate, but also on the man-made influences. Artificial fertilizer and liquid manure, which farmers bring to the fields, are included, for example. Stadtwerke Landshut, in cooperation with the farmers, has targeted these influenceable factors at an early stage. "Since 1994, the municipal utilities have been committed to sustainable management of the water protection area in Siebensee," explains Bardelle.

Of the 188 billion available cubic meters of groundwater, surface water and spring water in the water cycle, only about 2.7 percent are produced in Germany each year. The water, which comes out of the line at the end, is by far the cheapest food in Germany: A liter costs, according to the Federal Association of Energy and Water (BDEW) across Germany, on average, only 0.2 cents. In Landshut the liter of water is even cheaper for 0.154 cents.

The average water consumption in Germany as well as in Landshut has fallen by 20 percent since 1990, based on the distribution of public water utilities in the area of households and small businesses. With investments amounting to € 2.8 billion in 2018, water utilities in Germany attach great importance to maintaining high quality standards. Stadtwerke Stadtwerke invest about two million euros annually in the water supply, with the lion's share flowing into the pipeline network and the connecting lines.

Just as important as the supply of clean drinking water is the treatment of the wastewater. In Germany, about 97 percent of households are connected to public sewers.

Consumers rate the water supply in Germany fundamentally positively. In a recent survey by the BDEW, 79 percent of respondents certify that their drinking water is of good to very good quality. The water companies themselves also enjoy a good image among consumers.

The World Water Day, initiated by UNESCO in 1992, has been held every year since March 22, 1993, to raise public awareness of the resource of water. For World Water Day 2018, the UN World Water Decade has begun, which lasts until March 2028 and with which the United Nations draws particular attention to the issues of water and water protection.

Contact for more information:

Susanne Franck
Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications
Stadtwerke Landshut
Phone: (0871) 1436 2222
presse@stadtwerke-landshut.de