River water

As in the previous decades, a further rise in the demand for water was also expected around 1965. New options for the provision of drinking water had to be explored. As tight limits had been set on the further extraction of ground and spring water in the eastern area of the state of Baden-Württemberg, the decision was made to extract river water from the Danube and treat it to produce high-quality drinking water. Less than one percent of the water flow of the Danube is used here. In 1973, Langenau waterworks became operational on “Spitziger Berg” mountain on the edge of the Donauried. As the site of the untreated water pumping station is at Leipheim in Bavaria, a state treaty for the extraction of Danube water was formed between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. In a multi-stage process, the river water extracted at Leipheim is treated to produce drinking water at Langenau waterworks.