Project for better water quality in Lusatia

A project in the districts of Görlitz and Bautzen aims to improve water quality and increase the resilience of Lusatian waters in a changing climate. The rivers and streams in the lignite mining region are polluted due to mining and intensive use, according to the State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG). Concepts for improving the condition of the Black Elster, Spree and Lusatian Neisse will therefore be developed by mid-2029.

The aim of the project is the sustainable use and near-natural design of the watercourses. The focus is on the development of suitable management measures, for which the deficits in water quality are first identified. This includes modern watercourse models and the determination of ecological minimum water discharges, which the project is testing on a pilot basis.

The framework conditions for possible future water usage are also part of the concepts. The two districts and the municipalities should benefit from the climate data collected in the further development of the water bodies and their management.

Up to 2.7 million euros are available for the "Multifunctional water management" project. 70 percent of the money comes from an EU funding pot for structural change in mining regions, with the remaining 30 percent coming from the Free State of Bavaria.