K+S plans to continue discharging wastewater into the Werra until 2027!

K+S plans to continue discharging wastewater into the Werra until 2027!

In the coming years, the issue of environmental protection will remain a hot topic in the Hesse-Thuringia region. The fertilizer company K+S has announced that it wants to continue to discharge production wastewater into the Werra even after 2027, although it had previously announced a different line. Company spokespeople confirmed that the plans to only discharge dump water into the river from 2028 are no longer tenable. The background to this about-face is the lack of the necessary approval for an alternative disposal solution in the Springen mine, Thuringia, where the company wanted to store salt wastewater. The HNA reports that the responsible authorities did not grant this permission.

It is not without reason that those who have concerns about the discharge of wastewater are skeptical. K+S is under pressure to find environmentally friendly solutions to the problematic disposal of its salt water. In many places, the differentiation between production and stockpile water is not viewed as expedient. This is critical because the disposal issue is crucial for K+S's entire production. As the HNA further states, reduced disposal options can even result in factory closures, which comes dangerously close to losing thousands of jobs in the Hessian-Thuringian potash district.

Kassel Regional Council and further steps

The Kassel regional council has currently initiated a scoping procedure for the discharge of process wastewater after 2027. A total of 198 public bodies from five federal states are involved. When asked how the discharge of salt water should be regulated, K+S plans to maintain the existing limits for chloride, potassium, magnesium and sulfate. An application for the water permitting process should be submitted in the summer of 2026, so a decision could be expected in 2027.

However, there is no consensus in sight. The Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) Hesse criticizes the company's lack of a reliable disposal concept and emphasizes the need to comply with existing environmental laws. The protection of rivers, soils and groundwater is at risk, and environmentalists fear serious damage. This battle over water quality and production processes will certainly continue to preoccupy residents and political decision-makers in the future.

While the discussion about the wastewater problem is in full swing, the hope remains that K+S will find alternative and environmentally friendly solutions as soon as possible. Residents and affected stakeholders in the region are called upon to remain vigilant and keep an eye on developments while those responsible make their decisions. How the situation will develop depends not only on K+S, but also on the authorities and the public, who should make their voices heard.