"The increasing drought in Germany and Europe is leading to a variety of environmental problems; the effects on the groundwater balance are particularly worrying. The focus of legal regulations and official measures is on water quality, which is currently primarily concerned with lowering pollution levels. However, it is also necessary to strengthen the protection of groundwater."

In this technical article, our expert Dr Christoph Riese, together with Nicolas Brennecke (scientific employee), describes which legal options need to be taken and which existing regulations need to be realigned in view of the advancing water shortage.