The all-clear in the Birkenfeld district: drinking water is safe again!

The all-clear in the Birkenfeld district: drinking water is safe again!

The good news for the citizens of...Birkenfeld districtis finally here: the boiling water requirement for drinking water has been lifted. This affects several towns that, despite turbulent times, can now sit back and relax again. Loud SWR the water may be in the affected places, includingBergen,Berschweiler near Kirn, andWickenrodt, can now be used again without any concerns. A big step after the boiling requirement was imposed because of fecal germs that exceeded the limit values.

The health department issued the boiling requirement because the contaminated water can cause stomach and intestinal diseases. This is now the third such measure in the district within a year. The last warning affected 36 communities in November 2022 - a situation that was challenging for many in the region.

Affected communities and the all-clear

The lifting of the boiling water requirement applies not only to the places mentioned, but also to the districts ofIdar-ObersteinHowKirchenbollenbachandWeierbach. This means that the approximately 53 registered Cologne residents who were previously affected can now use their water pipes again without worry. The previously described restrictions on drinking, preparing food or cleaning are now history. This is a real reason for joy for the residents!

Interestingly, there was increased bacterial contamination in this region due to heavy rainfall events, which may have been identified as a trigger. This shows how sensitive the water supply is to environmental conditions.

Water quality in Germany

In the context of the drinking water problem, it is also worth mentioning that a total of 74.1 million people in Germany were supplied with drinking water in 2022. That reports Federal Environment Agency. It was found that more than 99% of the water samples examined met the requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance with regard to the quality of the water. Groundwater plays a central role here, while surface water contributes around 15.9% to the drinking water supply.

For the Birkenfeld region, this measure was crucial in restoring confidence in water quality. After the turbulent weeks, residents now hope that the water quality will remain stable and that such boiling orders will be a thing of the past.

Citizens are called upon to inform their neighbors about the repealed measure - because only together can we provide proper information on such matters and ensure that everything runs smoothly.