Topics | Umweltbundesamt

Pursuant to the 2nd amendment of the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV), since December 2012 the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA ) has been tasked with stipulating mandatory evaluation criteria for materials and substances that come into contact with drinking water. The guidelines and recommendations issued heretofore by the UBA were less legally binding. These guidelines a... read more

The four Member States (MS) Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2011 have agreed on collaboration in the harmonization of tests for the hygienic suitability of products in contact with drinking-water. These 4MS-collaboration efforts have evolved successfully and now are termed “4MS-Initiative” (4MSI) in view of extension perspectives. read more

Drinking-water is most likely safe if all process steps – i.e. abstraction, treatment and distribution – are working as they should. This requires proper management during planning, construction and installation, operation and maintenance of the entire system from catchment to consumer. Also, good understanding of these processes facilitates early identification of potentially present weaknesses. read more

With Karl-Heinz Florenz (member of the European Parliament, European People's Party), Ingrid Chorus, director of the department for drinking water at the UBA, opened a breakfast session on the topic of materials in contact with drinking water. On 7 June 2018, 50 experts from EU institutions, the EU member states and associations discussed the controversy surrounding the proposal by the Commission. read more

People are exposed to a wide range of environmental influences, such as noise or pollutants in air and water. These stressors may cause acute or chronic health effects. read more

Small-scale systems are important for a safe supply with drinking-water, particularly in rural areas. Experience has shown that they are often facing challenges, for example with respect to qualification of operators, resource protection and surveillance. Generating an enabling environment is therefore important for their safe operation. read more

All over the world, national public authorities and research institutes support the work of the World Health Organization (WHO). The German Environment Agency is a WHO Collaborating Centre for research on drinking-water hygiene. read more

The main aim of the Protocol is to protect public health from water-related diseases. read more