Groundwater

Donauried in Württemberg is one of the most important groundwater reservoirs in the country. It holds around a billion cubic metres. The water reserve, which fills during the winter part of the year, is available in the hot summer months when the demand for water is high.

The groundwater from Donauried represents the main pillar in the supply of drinking water to association members of the Landeswasserversorgung. Where required, the central distribution and treatment take place at Langenau waterworks. The catchment area of the groundwater reserve in Donauried in Württemberg lies on the high plateau of Swabian Alb, northwest of the basin. The seeping rainfall in the Swabian Alb region flows to Donauried in underground crevices and fissures that branch in all directions. The average age of the karst groundwater in Donauried is around 12 years. This explains why pollution at the groundwater catchment appears and abates with a significant delay; we speak of the “long memory” of the groundwater.

To cover the rapidly increasing demand for water, Burgberg waterworks were constructed in the Hürbe valley between 1964 and 1966. Since 1990, the option has been available to extract up to 500 litres of karst groundwater per second from the three wells of the waterworks during periods of peak demand.