Towards the Sustainable Use of Water: A Regional Approach for Baden-Wuerttemberg,Germany

Sustainable water management is an essential prerequisite for any sustainable development. As water is a regional resource, concepts for sustainable water management can only be developed at a regional level. Therefore the CTA carried out a regional study to assess the water resources in the state of Baden-Wuerttembergand to find out whether water management in Baden-Wuerttemberg can be regarded as sustainable. Whereas water quantity is not a major problem in Baden-Wuerttemberg,the question of water quality demands our full attention. The main threats to water quality are agriculture, airborne depositions and inadequate wastewater management. In addition, all decisions concerning water management have to be considered under energy aspects. Water, a renewable resource, should not be substituted by non-renewable resources such as fossil fuel.