Wasserverband Westdeutsche Kanäle
Abbreviation | WWK |
---|---|
Formation | January 1970 |
Type | Statutory authority in public-private partnership |
Legal status | Nonprofit organization |
Purpose | service water supply in the Ruhr region |
Headquarters | Germany, 44137 Dortmund, Königswall 29 |
Verbandsvorsteher | Dr. Stefan Laarmann |
Chief Operating Officer | Prof. Dr. Burkhard Teichgräber |
Affiliations | Joint administration with Lippeverband |
Website | under construction |
The Wasserverband Westdeutsche Kanäle (WWK) is a German
Responsibilities and Tasks of the Wasserverband Westdeutsche Kanäle (WWK)
Responsibilities and tasks of the WWK (= water board West German canals) are defined in the related statutes, enacted December 3, 1969,[1] based on a treaty between the German Federal Ministry for Transport and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia [2] and an executive order of the Environment Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany).[3] The WWK is a public German
- operation and development of (new) pumping stations at sluices,
- cooperation with the water supplier ,
- the provision of water for the replenishment of Lippe flow and
- in the role of the supplier of water services to calculate and charge the arising costs in cooperation with the Federal Waterways Authority.
Though being a
- of water that is used and has to be treated separately and discharged as waste water and/or
- of water that has been removed, warmed-up and discharged again into the canal.
The control and supervision is carried out from a centralized telecontrol station[6] in Datteln
History
Origins and early development of WWK
The West German shipping canals serve the mass transportation in the Ruhr region between the rivers Rhine and Ems direction North Sea and via the Mittelland Canal to the Weser, Elbe, Oder and Vistula. This canal network shows the highest traffic density in Europe. The canals are state-owned by the Federal Waterways Authority (Bundeswasserstraßenverwaltung”).[5] The construction of artificial shipping canals was necessary in the
The WWK at present
Today the Lippe and the West German canal system still play a decisive role regarding the supply of industry and businesses with service water, even though the water demand in total is declining. Circular economy, energy efficiency in all kind of businesses and the reduced water demand due to the changing energy policy (reduction of thermal power stations) unburden the river.[10] Moreover, the discharge of warmed water back to the river has been regulated by public law.[11] Improved municipal waste water treatment and the decline of coal mining have had positive impact on the water management, too. The water demand for shipping nevertheless is important in the West German canal system. To compensate the loss of water from evaporation, infiltration and locking in the sluices annually 500 million m3 of water have to be injected.[12] To reduce especially in dry weather periods the demand of water that gets lost from the sluices it is locally pumped up again. The total water demand from the canal system of up to 800 million m3/year is mainly covered by supply from the Lippe and Ruhr.[13] The permission to withdraw up to 25 m3/second from the Lippe still today is limited to a remaining discharge in the Lippe of 10 m3/second. If the water level in the river falls below that flow rate the Lippe receives up to 4.5 m3/second out of the canal system for low water replenishment. For example in the 12 months period from November 2014 to October 2015 the Lippe discharged on 257 days water into the Datteln-Hamm Canal and on 102 days canal water was pumped into the Lippe.[14]
Drinking Water
The
Service Water
Along the canals industry and businesses consume about 60 million m3 annually for cooling, production, irrigation and the afore mentioned processing of ground water wells. Frequent measurements of state-approved inspection authorities show results and values close to drinking water quality in the canals.[13] The network of the canals in the densely populated Ruhr region and the high water quality is (since 1989 the Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park took place) frequently topic in scientific, public and political debates about the utilisation of attractive urban water fronts, also in context with climate change aspects. [17][18][19][20]
Members and data
Members of the WWK are according to the status 31.12.2014:[21]
- the Lippeverband (with focus on the water level of the river Lippe),
- 36 water abstractors of canal water (industry and businesses),
- 6 enterprises for public water supply as canal water abstractors for drinking water purposes and for service water supply to third parties.
Customers with lower water demand may draw insignificant amounts without becoming a formal member. In cases of water shortage they have to renounce the supply for the benefit of the regular members. The need of service water varies very much – for example annually for a public pool 500 m3/year up to 15 million m3/year for a thermal power station. All together the withdrawal is on the average 60 million m3/year (with downward drift). The technically possible maximum of 400 million m3/year has never been used. The discharge of canal water via the Stever into
Technical facilities
- Exchange facility Lippe in Hamm 1972
- Pumping station Oberhausen 1974
- Pumping station Gelsenkirchen 1975
- Pumping station Wanne-Eickel 1977
- Pumping station Herne-Ost 1979
- Pumping station Hamm-Werries 1981
- Pumping station Friedrichsfeld 1982
- Pumping station Hünxe 1982
- Pumping station Duisburg-Meiderich 1982
- Telecontrol station Datteln 1984
- Pumping station Dorsten 1985
- Exchange facility Stever in Senden 1985
- Pumping station Flaesheim 1986
- Pumping station Ahsen 1988
- Pumping station Datteln 1988
Sources and Literature
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (December 2015) |
References
- ^ a b Statutes: „Satzung des Wasserverbandes Westdeutsche Kanäle WWK“ published 03/12/1969 in the Official Journal of the regional authority Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf N° 50 a), reviewed 13/01/1972 (Official Journal Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf page 39)
- ^ Abkommen über die Verbesserung der Lippewasserführung, die Speisung der westdeutschen Schifffahrtskanäle mit Wasser und die Wasserversorgung aus ihnen (Treaty on the improvement of the Lippe water management, the supply of West German waterways with water and the water provision herefrom) 08/08/1968 (GV. NW. 1968 S 343) updated 22/12/1972 (GV. NW. 1973 S. 63)
- ^ Executive Order of the Environment Ministry North Rhine-Westphalia: „Zulassung von Wasserentnahmen und Wasserableitungen aus den westdeutschen Schifffahrtskanälen“, RdErl. d. Ministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten I A 4 – 605/1-11889, published 11/07/19841984
- ^ Act of water boards, published 12/02/1991 (BGBl. I page 405), revised 23/05/2002
- ^ a b German web page of the Bundeswasserstraßenverwaltung
- ^ a b Web page of the telecontrol station “Fernsteuerzentrale Datteln”
- ^ a b c Lippeverband (Selbstverlag): „50 Jahre Lippeverband“, Dortmund/Essen 1975
- ^ Webpage of the Federal Waterways Authority, district West
- ^ Treaty on the improvement of Lippe water level and input from West German canals: „Abkommen über die Verbesserung der Lippewasserführung, die Speisung der westdeutschen Schifffahrtskanäle mit Wasser und die Wasserversorgung aus ihnen“ published 08/08/1968 (GV.NW. 1968 S. 343), revised 22/12/1972 (GV. NW. 1973 S. 63)
- ^ Press Release of the North Rhine-Westphalian Government, 2006
- ^ River Catchments North Rhine-Westphalia/ results Lower Rhine, Environment Ministry NRW
- ^ Speisung des westdeutschen Kanalnetzes / Schifffahrtskanäle zur Wasserversorgung; joint brochure of the WWK and the Federal Waterways Authority, 2010
- ^ a b c d „Wenn Sie Brauchwasser brauchen“ (= “If you need Service Water”), Brochure of the WWK, 2003
- ^ Annual business report Lippeverband 2014/2015, published 03/12/2015 in the annual meeting in Kamen
- ^ Brochure of the water supplier Gelsenwasser AG, July 2013
- ^ Fact sheet Stadtwerke Münster, July 2015
- ^ Action programme in Dorsten between Wesel-Datteln Canal and Lippe, 2015
- ^ City of Hamm - Perspectives for the Inner City 2030, published 2015
- ^ Universität Dortmund LODE_PORT – International Excellence School of Innovative Approaches in Regeneration Planning and Design of Low Density Urbanized Polycentric Regions in Transformation, 2012
- ^ Cooperation KuLaRuhr sustainable urban culture and landscape in the Metropole Ruhr, 2014
- ^ Jahresbericht WWK, 2014
- ^ User contract between Federal Waterways Authority and WWK, published 09/09/1971