Baumann exchanges about PFC problems in Mittelbaden

in the district of Rastatt and in Baden-Baden spoke State Secretary for the Environment Dr. Andre Baumann for a day with different people about the load on the groundwater by per- and polyfluorinated chemicals.

State Secretary for the Environment DR. Andre Baumann and district president Sylvia M. Felder came to Mittelbaden for one day. The aim of the visit is to find out about the current situation of the groundwater pollution from per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC), to talk to those affected and to exchange ideas with the responsible municipal representatives.

This morning there was a one-hour meeting with students of the Tulla Gymnasium in Rastatt. Here Baumann and fields spoke with students of a geography class on course level two about the stress of floors and groundwater with PFCs in the region and how they personally perceive the topic. The students had a lively discussion and wanted the country to communicate more on social media.

discussion with community representatives

A round of conversation followed, among other things, with a decision in early June 2021 to the Prime Minister of the country, Winfried Kretschmann , with urgent questions about PFC contamination. The Bundestag and state parliament members represented from the constituencies there were also invited.

In the moderated, around two -hour conversation, the state secretary initially made it clear that it was important to him to come to the region today in order to be able to get an idea on site and to get the affected communities directly. Baumann announced as the next step, and citizens should also have the opportunity to ask questions about the country in the future. He also reacted again to the wishes of the local representatives expressed in the resolution, including the Environment Minister Thekla Walker had already commented in her answer in mid-August.

long breath required

State Secretary Dr. In conversation, Baumann showed understanding for the wish of the municipalities and the entire region after a quick return to normal. But there is also no quick and easy solution for the large PFC load in Mittelbaden: "We need staying power here," said Baumann. The country will continue to support the region as much as possible, he said, for example, this afternoon handover of two funding notices to Stadtwerke Baden-Baden for two new activated carbon plants .

"The country is aware of the major challenges, the PFC in groundwater, especially for municipal water suppliers," emphasized Baumann. For this reason, the state supported the preparation from the start with broad basic research on PFCs, for example for the development of suitable analysis methods and for better understanding of the degradation and transport processes running in the soil and groundwater. However, uniform and harmonized limit values for the PFC fabric group are also important. The country has been working on a national and European level for years.

The discussion continues at the technical level

District President Sylvia M. Felder added: "In 2017 we have the Regional councilor in Karlsruhe , the contact point for all PFC managers in the district. explained on management planning.

It was agreed to continue the discussion at the technical level. There was agreement that the protection of the citizens must continue to be a top priority. The participants welcomed that the country accepted their invitation and took the time to understand their view of the current situation. Since the effects of the PFC burden will certainly accompany the region for longer, the collaboration will continue to be an important part of all efforts for the population in the future.

In the afternoon environmental state secretary Dr. Andre Baumann of the Stadtwerke Baden-Baden In the presence of district president Sylvia M. Fields in the amount of around 1.4 million Investment volume of around 4.2 million and visited the Sandweier waterworks. The last stop of her joint tour is Technology Center Water (TZW) in Karlsruhe. In the TZW, Baumann and fields find out about the current status of a number of research projects in which the country cooperates with the TZW. Research focuses on new possibilities for analyzing PFCs in water, soil and plants.

Karlsruhe: Pfc