Brandenburg's environment minister calls for higher water prices as Spree reaches historic lows
Minister Hanka Mittelstädt says water is too cheap while most Brandenburg rivers run at low water, groundwater-fed lakes hit all-time lows, and the Spree faces a long-term supply threat from the 2028 coal phase-out.
Rivers and groundwater in crisis
Most rivers in Brandenburg are carrying very little water, with many below warning levels, according to data from the State Office for the Environment (LfU). A spokesman described the picture as extreme against the long-term statistics. The duration and spatial extent of the low-water phase are particularly striking this summer. Groundwater-fed lakes have reached all-time lows, and almost all aquifers in the state are near or below their historic minimums.
Looking at the long-term statistics, the development is extreme.
Several districts and municipalities have imposed water extraction bans in recent weeks due to low rainfall and falling river levels.
Spree supply and the coal exit
A particular concern is the Spree, which is so depleted that authorities in Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony are alarmed. A hastily convened cross-state working group is now to coordinate measures to increase the water volume. The reservoirs in the upper Spree catchment in Saxony were not sufficiently filled after a dry winter and spring.
- Dry winter and spring leave reservoirs in the upper Spree catchment poorly filled.
- Most Brandenburg rivers reach low water; groundwater-fed lakes hit all-time lows; aquifers near historic minimums.
- Environment minister calls water too cheap and urges price rises; cross-state working group on Spree established.
- Lignite mining ends, reducing groundwater pumped into the Spree and threatening Berlin's drinking water supply.
Longer-term, the agreed coal phase-out in 2028 will compound the problem. When lignite mining stops, less groundwater will be pumped into the Spree, and studies show the river's flow will drop significantly. This could affect the drinking water supply for the greater Berlin area. Options being discussed include a transfer from the Elbe, a Baltic Sea pipeline for the Spree, and additional water storage.
Calls for higher prices and careful use
Hanka Mittelstädt, Brandenburg's agriculture and environment minister, told the German Press Agency that water is currently too cheap. She argued that low prices encourage wasteful habits.
It leads to us filling pools at lunchtime, it means we still see sprinklers in gardens at midday.
The minister called for greater sensitivity in water consumption and said the whole of society must take responsibility. According to the state statistics office, the charge for drinking water to private households in Brandenburg last year was 1.82 euros per cubic metre. Mittelstädt is currently on a summer tour of regions in Brandenburg focused on water issues.
Federal funding and a new water law
Mittelstädt stressed that the federal government must contribute financially to rescue measures for the Spree and the Spreewald. She said the federal government is increasingly withdrawing and treating the issue as a state problem, a stance she disagrees with. The federal government itself decided the coal phase-out and must therefore bear responsibility, she argued. Brandenburg is working on a new water law to protect water bodies and improve water retention.
Research points to a structural shift
Researchers at the Technical University of Berlin have developed a tool to analyse options such as artificial groundwater recharge, controlled drainage systems, temporary surface storage and nature-based retention measures. Irina Engelhardt, head of hydrogeology at TU Berlin, said the region is no longer suffering just from individual drought years but from a structural water deficit, as falling groundwater levels demonstrate.
Our results show that a fundamental change in regional water management is needed, away from fast drainage and towards active water storage and retention.
