Well water alarm: High iron and bacteria levels in Brandenburg!

Well water alarm: High iron and bacteria levels in Brandenburg!

The well water analyzes in Brandenburg, carried out by VSR water protection, have provided new insights into groundwater pollution in the region. The study, which extends over the last six years, shows what the water quality is like. What is particularly noteworthy is that only 7.1% of wells exceed the limit of 50 mg/l nitrate, which represents a positive balance for the region. VSR water protection has played an important role here, as it has been advocating for clean water since 1980 and carrying out important research work in this area. That reports Meeting point Brandenburg.

Harald Gülzow, a well owner and physicist who led the evaluation, was present at the stand during the information event. Each well owner received a detailed report that provided both measurement results and usage instructions. In a total of 846 water samples that were examined for nitrate, iron and bacteria, what was particularly noticeable was the high iron content. 32.0% of the wells had iron contents above 0.8 mg/l, which can lead to unsightly water discoloration and deposits. These high values ​​are not only a cosmetic problem, they also affect the functionality of technical devices.

Bacterial contamination and heavy rain

However, there is also less good news: an increase in bacterial contamination has been detected. According to Gülzow, this could be due to the heavy rainfall, which resulted in repeated flooding. In this context, coliform bacteria were detected in 14.3% of the wells tested. These can be due to defective sewer pipes that allow feces to reach the groundwater. What is positive, however, is that E. coli was not found in the wells tested, which means an all-clear for drinking water supplies.

Similar results were also found in the Heinsberg district, where the samples could be taken directly to the mobile laboratory or sent by post. 52.7% of the wells had values ​​above 50 mg/l nitrate, and in 20.9% the values ​​were even above 100 mg/l. This can be attributed, among other things, to irrigation water or fertilizer containing nitrogen, such as Heinsberg Magazine reported. High concentrations of nitrates in groundwater are problematic because they can be converted into nitrosamines in the human body, which is a concern for parents, especially in infants. The EU Nitrates Directive is therefore an important step towards preventing such contamination.

Prepared for the future

In addition, VSR water protection creates a checklist to identify and eliminate the causes of bacterial contamination. The results of the well water analyzes can be viewed in detail on the VSR Water Protection website, including interactive maps that show when the mobile laboratory is traveling in the region. These transparent measures are essential to actively involve well owners in water protection and to work together to improve water quality.

The Federal Environment Agency provides information on its website about the importance of nitrate in groundwater and shows that fertilizer is often not applied in a location-appropriate manner. This can lead to over-fertilization in water bodies, which in turn could also pollute groundwater in the long term. With a corresponding review and regular data transmission to the European Environment Agency (EEA), Germany wants to ensure that the limit values ​​for nitrate are maintained in the long term, as shown Federal Environment Agency can be read.