Bavaria Finalizes Plan for New Water Usage Fee

The proposed 'Wassercent' will charge users 10 cents per cubic meter, but exemptions and fairness concerns spark criticism.

The Wassercent will impose a 10-cent fee per cubic meter of groundwater used, with a 5,000-cubic-meter annual exemption for agricultural and industrial users with private wells.
Households will pay the fee from the first cubic meter consumed, with an estimated cost of around 18 euros annually for a typical four-person household.
Exemptions include water use for public safety (e.g., firefighting), fish farming, renewable energy systems, and state-recognized healing waters, while municipal pools and private usage will be subject to the fee.
Critics argue the plan unfairly burdens private households, lacks sufficient accountability measures like mandatory water meters, and leaves agricultural and industrial users under-regulated.
Revenue from the fee, expected to reach 70 million euros annually, will be allocated to water and drinking water protection, though specifics on its application remain unclear.