What's next for water in the region?

The Lower Spree region, like the whole of Brandenburg, faces the challenge of sustainably securing the water balance of its watercourses. Many streams and ditches have lost a massive amount of water in recent decades. The reasons for this are, on the one hand, climatic changes with longer dry spells and less rainfall, and on the other hand, historically established drainage practices. For centuries, water was systematically removed from the landscape in order to make land usable - with considerable consequences for the structure of watercourses and their ecological status.

Today, it is clear that water retention in the area is a decisive key to the future. However, it often competes with other requirements such as the continuity of watercourses or the agricultural use of neighbouring land. In addition, watercourse beds were often constructed far too deep in earlier development phases. In areas with a low potential for conflict, it is therefore necessary to raise riverbeds and adjust the height of structures accordingly in order to stabilise the natural water balance.

The "Untere Spree" Water and Landscape Management Association has been dedicated to this task since the 1990s. With comparatively small but effective measures, the association endeavours to keep water in the landscape for longer. In addition to the mandatory task of maintaining watercourses, various sources of funding are utilised - from the Brandenburg Nature Conservation Fund to compensation and replacement measures and funding guidelines. Several revitalisation projects have been implemented in recent years, including the reconnection of four oxbow lakes of the Müggelspree. This has resulted in a river lengthening of over 3,500 metres, which not only improves the water balance but also ecological diversity.

A revitalisation project is currently being implemented on the Neuendorfer Hauptgraben to the east of Fürstenwalde. The aim is to fund the natural dynamics of the watercourse and at the same time increase the storage capacity of the landscape by raising the river bed and adapting the existing structures. Beyond the technical issues, the social handling of water is increasingly taking centre stage. This resource is still being used wastefully in many places. One particularly large item is the consumption of groundwater for maize production for biogas plants. In view of the tense water situation, the question arises as to whether a fundamental rethink is required here - for example by choosing other crops or by adapting subsidy policies. Taking greater account of the actual scarcity in the pricing of water could also create incentives to use this basis of life more sparingly and consciously.

Revitalisation of water bodies in the Lower Spree area
Location: Lecture theatre 2 in teaching building 1A and livestream:
https://b-tu.webex.com/b-tu/j.php?MTID=m07b2208a3d44fb5281631886e570db2b
Time: Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 17:30 - 19:00
Officer: Thorsten Weidner, former Manager, Wasser- und Landschaftspflegeverband "Untere Spree"
All interested parties are cordially invited. Admission is free.