Rhine water pipeline

Lignite mining in the Rhenish lignite mining area will come to an end in the next few years. Once recultivation is complete, water from the Rhine will be used to fill the planned Hambach and Garzweiler open-cast mining lakes, sustain the wetlands in the northern part of the Garzweiler mine, and ensure stable long-term groundwater conditions. To facilitate this, a Rhine water transport pipeline, along with the necessary infrastructure, will be constructed by 2030 to deliver the required water volumes.

Depending on the water level, up to 18 m³/s of water will be extracted from the Rhine at Dormagen and transported to the Hambach and Garzweiler opencast mines via the Rhine water transport pipeline. A large area of water can already be utilised in the Hambach open-cast mine around ten years after the start of flooding. After around 40 years, the target water levels of the open-cast mine lakes will be reached. The Rhine water transport pipeline will be operated for a further 30 years to compensate for seepage losses. After that, the lakes will be fed entirely by the natural groundwater inflow.