Applying for a permit to extract groundwater

You can apply for a permit from your local water authority. The general procedure is as follows:

• Send your application for authorization with the required documents to the responsible water authority.
• The responsible water authority
  • checks whether your application and documents are complete and contacts you if any information or documents are missing,
  • examines your application from a water management and water law perspective and involves other authorities if necessary,
  • carries out a preliminary environmental impact assessment for planned groundwater withdrawals of at least 5,000 cubic meters per year and publishes the results.
• If necessary, affected parties are involved as part of a public participation process.
• They receive
  • a notice of approval or
  • a notice of rejection.
• You will also receive a fee notice.
• You pay the fee.

Please contact the responsible Structural and Approval Directorate North or South.

• Your project is not reasonable without the secure legal status of a permit. For example, a company that wants to extract drinking water and build the necessary facilities can apply for a permit.
• Groundwater and the public water supply are not endangered by your use.

In your application for a permit, please provide the following information, among others:

• Reasons why a secure legal status is necessary for your project
• Explanation of the purpose and plan of your project

The other documents you need for your application will vary depending on the type and scope of your project. In a preliminary discussion with the responsible water authority, you can clarify which documents are required in your case.

As a rule, several or all of the following documents are required:

• Explanatory report
• Overview site plan as a topographical map in which the existing or planned extraction facility is shown in color
• Current cadastral site plan in which the existing or planned extraction point is entered and highlighted in color
• Information on the type and construction data of the extraction facility
• schematic representation of the extraction facility in plan view
• Accompanying nature conservation planning, including entry in the compensation area register for new plants
• If applicable: Technical contribution to the Water Framework Directive

• Certificate of competence

There is no statutory deadline. Apply for approval in good time before starting your project.

The processing time depends in particular on the quality and scope of the application and the documents.

• § Section 8 (1) of the German Federal Water Act (Wasserhaushaltsgesetz - WHG)

Contradiction

State Office for the Environment

01.12.2023