167-Sustainability of River Bank Filtration in Germany.

Abstract

Since 1870, bank filtration along the River Rhine in the city of Duesseldorf and since 1875 along the River Elbe in the city of Dresden has been an important source for public and industrial water supply. Infiltration has been induced by pumping of wells and installation of drain pipes. Today, some of the old systems are still in operation. Periods of poor river water quality in the 70's and 80's have been overcome. Available historical data from water quality and clogging investigations are compared with results from recent investigations. Waterworks were modernised and treatment technologies adapted. Long-term experiences and results of the evaluation of historic and recent data and of investigations using modern modeling tools prove that river bank filtration is a sustainable water resource for water supply in Germany.