Reports of the Ministry of the Environment Baden-Wurttemberg

27 August 2015

Municipal wastewater

The 2015 Annual Report on ‘Municipal Wastewater’ published by the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector

24 March 2015

Proper disposal of pharmaceutical products – protect our water
Pharmaceutical products are essential for many people. Today, we are consuming more drugs than ever. After their
administration, some components of the active ingredients are flushed into the wastewater treatment plants in the
domestic wastewater. In most cases, this is inevitable unlike the unnecessary pollution of our bodies of water by the
incorrect disposal of unused pharmaceutical products. Despite the numerous well-developed wastewater treatment
plants, pharmaceutical residues cannot be completely removed from the wastewater and thus enter our bodies of
water. Please read our flyer. It is possible to print the name of the relevant provider on the flyer via the DWA Baden-Wurttemberg
regional chapter. Order via the DWA Baden-Wurttemberg regional chapter.

2 October 2014

Micropollutant inventory of flowing waters in Baden-Wurttemberg

In the past decades, the pollution of our bodies of water has decreased thanks to the diverse
measures undertaken, such as substance prohibition, expansion of the wastewater treatment
plants or relevant adjustments to industrial processes. However, we must not rest on our
laurels! The residues that can be detected in waters such as pharmaceuticals, contrast media,
biocides, synthetic sweeteners, fragrances, softeners and flame retardants pose a new challenge.
In most cases, these micropollutants enter bodies of water after their corresponding use in
households through municipal wastewater treatment plants.

Read the complete press release by the Baden-Wurttemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate
Protection and the Energy Sector as a PDF. The PDF version of the unabridged ‘Micropollutant inventory
of flowing waters in Baden-Wurttemberg’ report is available for download.

Anthropogenic micropollutants in bodies of water - 2012 report on micropollutants in Baden-Wurttemberg

For approximately the last ten years, the topic of micropollutants in wastewater has
been the subject of intensive national and international discussion. This involves a variety
of different substances that are found in our bodies of water in very low concentrations in
the range of nano or micrograms per litre or even lower concentrations and are introduced
by human activities. Municipal wastewater treatment plants represent an important input
pathway of substances that primarily enter wastewater treatment plants together with domestic
wastewater where they are insufficiently eliminated. These substances include active ingredients
of pharmaceuticals, X-ray contrast media, additives in personal care and cleaning products,
biocides and substances with hormone-like effects. Read the full report on micropollutants.