Climate Change Threatens Germany's Reservoir Drinking Water Quality

Rising temperatures are depleting oxygen levels and releasing harmful substances in reservoirs, complicating water treatment efforts.

Reservoirs provide approximately 15% of Germany's drinking water, with some regions relying even more heavily on them.
Over the past 40 years, reservoir water temperatures have risen by about 2°C, with projections indicating an additional 4-5°C increase in worst-case scenarios.
Decreasing oxygen levels in reservoirs are endangering aquatic ecosystems and causing the release of harmful substances like manganese and iron from sediments.
Technical measures, such as extracting water from oxygen-rich layers, are being implemented to maintain water quality in some reservoirs, including the Mauthaus Reservoir.
Expanding existing reservoirs, such as raising dam walls at the Granetalsperre in the Harz, is being prioritized over building new ones due to lower environmental and economic costs.