Berliner Wasserbetriebe takes over the maintenance of many emergency fountains!

Berliner Wasserbetriebe takes over the maintenance of many emergency fountains!

The Berliner Wasserbetriebe made an important decision on July 11, 2025: They will now take responsibility for all emergency wells and pumps in the capital. This includes a considerable number of almost 2,100 emergency wells, which have been looked after primarily by the individual districts in recent years. Through a new contract between the state of Berlin and the water company, the maintenance and care of the wells will be centralized, which not only ensures more efficient maintenance, but also better crisis prevention. Laut RBB24 liegt die Verantwortung vor allem in der Hand der Berliner Wasserbetriebe, die sich um 1.190 Brunnen des Landes und 901 Brunnen des Bundes kümmern. This is a big step for Berlin's infrastructure, especially with regard to disaster control and emergency preparedness.

The tasks are clearly defined: inventory, maintenance, operation and repair of the wells. Most of these emergency wells are hand pumps that are available in the event of disasters and other emergencies. However, around 25% of the wells are currently unusable, which represents a challenge that the water company wants to address by the end of the year. Until then, they must determine the need for renovation and plan necessary repairs, as Tagesspiegel reports.

The implementation of responsibility

The decision to centralize responsibility for the emergency wells was made as part of a Senate resolution on September 24, 2024 and is based on a previous resolution by the House of Representatives. Berliner Wasserbetriebe is starting to take over management in the pilot districts of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Spandau, where the handle pumps are now almost completely covered. In other districts, the functionality and condition of the wells is currently being checked.

These wells are not intended for drinking water, but in an emergency they can be treated with disinfectant tablets so that they become drinkable. The responsibility of the water company not only includes maintenance and repair, but also the pooling of expertise regarding the operation and renovation of the technical systems. Worn parts are regularly replaced, which makes constant maintenance necessary. The water flow of the fountains can be different, depending on the pumping height and is between 20 and 50 liters per minute, explains the information from the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Zeitung.

With around 4,830 employees, Berliner Wasserbetriebe supplies around 3.9 million people with drinking water and treats the wastewater of 4.8 million residents of the metropolitan region. This integration of emergency wells and pumps into their service offering could not only prove to be a wise decision, but is also a strong sign of preparedness for possible emergencies. In a city with such a large population, it is even more important to have a good handle on water supply in all situations.