Die Trinkwasserversorgung der Stadt Halle von ihren Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart

Abstract

This contribution describes the central water supply of the town Halle, situated in the Leipzig-Merseburg-Halle industrial region, and the difficulties of providing the town's inhabitants with sufficient drinking water of a good quality. Quantitative and qualitative difficulties have resultes from the natural unavailability of suitable water, the growth in population and the development of trade and industry in the town and its surroundings. These developments had an additional negative influence on the already poor natural conditions and finally necessitated the provision of water from distant sources as well as the construction of new waterworks.Because the public water supply in the former GDR was predominately in the hands of the state and the town of Halle lacked the necessary resources to build new waterworks, the former GDR government took the decision in 1988 to build waterworks in the immediate vicinity of the old Halle-Beesen waterworks. The decision was based on the very high consumption of water, especially by industry, and the consequent shortage of water for the general population.