Saxony and Brandenburg intend to work closely together to stabilize the fragile water balance in Lusatia. The environment ministers of both states, Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch (CDU) and Hanka Mittelstädt (SPD), discussed the matter during a visit to the Lohsa II reservoir. “Restoring a balanced water cycle after the end of coal mining in Lusatia is a task that will span generations,” Mittelstädt explained.
For decades, water was pumped out due to mining operations and discharged into rivers, particularly the Spree. As a result of the coal phase-out, this water will be missing from the rivers in the future. At the same time, a great deal of water is needed to flood the remaining open-pit mining pits—even though Lusatia is one of the regions with the lowest precipitation in Germany.
Among other things, the two states intend to develop a scientific forecast of how much water will be available in the coming decades, where it will come from, and how much will be needed. In addition, a Lusatia groundwater model is to be developed to serve as the basis for water management in the region. Both department heads also emphasized that the states must present a united front toward the federal government.
