Water law permit - construction projects in groundwater

Course description

Interventions in the groundwater that are relevant under water law include, for example

• Pumping out and thus lowering groundwater to drain an excavation pit and discharging the extracted water back into the groundwater.
• The temporary or permanent damming, diversion or lowering of groundwater by a building structure or the enclosure of a building pit.
• The introduction of substances into the groundwater (buildings or building materials such as foundations, building materials, bored piles, sheet piling, injections).

Construction water (groundwater and rainwater in the excavation pit) must be channelled back into the subsoil near the surface via absorption wells or soakaways after passing through a settling basin (for settling fine particles).

Discharge into the municipal sewer or into surface waters (municipal streams, rivers and lakes) is not desirable and will only be authorised in very well-founded individual cases.

Required documents

All documents are required in paper form in quadruplicate and additionally in digital form in accordance with our information sheet.

As part of the application documents, calculations on the height and range of the groundwater accumulation resulting from the construction project must be submitted.

Proof must be provided that no detrimental situation will arise for existing neighbouring buildings.

If necessary, planned measures to reduce the groundwater build-up must be presented.

Legal basis

Sections 8 to 15 of the Water Resources Act
Article 15 and Article 70 of the Bavarian Water Act