Federal Supreme Court decides: is the nitrate pollution at the EMS stopped?

Federal Supreme Court decides: is the nitrate pollution at the EMS stopped?

Wesermarsch, Deutschland - The Federal Administrative Court has announced a decision on the groundwater protection measures at the EMS. The occasion was to check whether Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia had to do more against the high nitrate pollution. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) filed a lawsuit in this context because it considers the existing protection program to be insufficient. The DUH agreed to the Lower Saxony Higher Administrative Court and asked the two federal states for better measures. Lower Saxony and North Rhine -Westphalia have then appealed, which has now been decided by the highest administrative court.

In the river area of the EMS, numerous groundwater measuring points exceed the permitted maximum values for nitrate, which are 50 milligrams per liter. The high nitrate pollution is significantly attributed to intensive fertilization, especially with manure, in recent decades. Both animal husbandry and agriculture are strongly pronounced in the region. Too high nitrate values in the groundwater are considered to be harmful to health and can endanger the drinking water supply in the long term, such as Kreiszeitung Wesermarsch reported.

legal regulations and health importance

The nitrate problem is also present in other parts of Germany. In agricultural areas, around 26 percent of the measuring points exceed the limit of 50 mg nitrate per liter, which can result in health impairments, especially for infants. Among other things, this leads to risks such as methemoglobin formation, which is dangerous for infants.

In order to reduce the nitrate pollution, various legal regulations are in force, including the amendments to the fertilizer regulation from 2017 and 2020. These contain measures such as mandatory fertilization planning and the reduction of fertilizer in loaded areas. According to Federal Environmental Office are the main causes for the nitrate entries mainly agricultural activities.

The drinking water quality in Germany is generally good; However, the increasing nitrate values in certain regions require measures from water suppliers to permanently ensure quality. This could also lead to higher costs for drinking water supply, which are due to the measures for nitrate reduction.