Nachhaltige Wasserwirtschaft durch Synergie. - Moegliche Kooperationen bei der Wasserver- und Entsorgung

The function of communal water supply utilities is to provide consumers with high quality drinking water in sufficient quantities. On the other hand communal wastewater disposal utilities have to dispose the wastewater. In addition to this water prices and wastewater charges shall also give financial incentives to water avoidance. The existing cost problem results of the structure of German water supply system and wastewater disposal systemwhich are in contrast to other European countries highly decentralised. Cooperation is one instrument to improve efficiency and effectiveness towards a sustainable water management. Cooperation is mainly directed to relationships between water utilities, independent of size and organization and should be realised on a voluntary basis. A cooperation could take place between two water supply utilities or between two wastewater disposal utilities or and between a water supply utility and a wastewater disposal utility. If necessary, communal and fiscal legislation have to be adapted to open the way for this strategic instrument. The key topic of this paper is to show possibilities for realizing synergies through cooperation in water and wastewater management on the example of the city Augsburg and the municipalities in the administrative districts Augsburg, Aichach-Friedberg, Donau-Ries and Dillingen. Based on an own survey the results are judged by the context of a sustainable water management.