Hardwasser AG

Hardwasser AG is a Swiss water production company headquartered in Pratteln, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. It draws raw water from the Rhine, filters it, and infiltrates it into the Hardwald forest near Muttenz to artificially recharge groundwater. The enriched groundwater is then captured and treated with activated carbon filters to produce drinking water. The company was founded on 19 December 1955 as an Aktiengesellschaft (joint-stock company) to address water shortages in the Basel region after the Second World War. It produces approximately 13.8 million cubic meters of drinking water annually, three-quarters of which goes to Basel-Stadt and one-quarter to various municipalities and water utilities in Basel-Landschaft. Additionally, it supplies 0.9 million cubic meters of industrial water to the ARA-Rhein wastewater treatment plant in Pratteln. For Basel-Stadt, Hardwasser's supply accounts for half of the drinking water used, with the remainder produced by IWB at the Lange Erlen waterworks. The company serves around 200,000 people in the Basel city and agglomeration area. It is a private joint-stock company with about 18 employees, located on Rheinstrasse near Pratteln. The company has faced environmental challenges, including the detection of chlorobutadienes in its water in 2007, which led to additional treatment measures. Today, it operates a modern activated carbon filter facility built in 2013. The company's water is consumed in Basel, Allschwil, and other municipalities including Aesch, Dornach, Pfeffingen, Pratteln, Frenkendorf, Füllinsdorf, and Reinach, with further network connections to the rear Leimental valley and other areas.

Hardwasser AG was founded on 19 December 1955 as an Aktiengesellschaft to address water shortages in the Basel region following the economic boom after World War II. The project was driven by the canton of Basel-Stadt, with support from Basel-Landschaft and the municipality of Muttenz. The idea was to raise water from the Rhine and artificially recharge groundwater in the Hardwald forest. Initial groundwater tests began in 1950, and trial groundwater extraction started in 1951, becoming regular in 1956. However, the drinking water quality was unsatisfactory. From 1958, groundwater recharge through infiltration of Rhine water began, with necessary facilities, ditches, and ponds built and expanded in stages until 1977. In December 2007, chlorobutadienes were detected in the mixed water at concentrations above the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC). The cantonal laboratory of Basel-Landschaft ordered additional treatment of all drinking water, initially using existing activated carbon filters at the IWB plant in Lange Erlen and later at Hardwasser's Zentrale West. The facility was expanded with a provisional tank filter system in 2009 and a newly built activated carbon filter facility in 2013. The company has faced environmental scrutiny, including a 2006 Greenpeace Switzerland report that found trace contaminants possibly originating from nearby chemical waste dumps. It was later shown that the canton had already detected some pollutants in 1980. Research indicates that the chlorobutadienes originated from the Rhine and entered the underground via Rhine water infiltration in the 1970s. In 2007, authorities obligated Hardwasser AG to treat its drinking water. Since December 2013, the company operates a new activated carbon filter that successfully removes all chlorobutadienes and other trace contaminants. The municipality of Muttenz is building a multi-stage treatment plant in the same area. Today, Hardwasser AG supplies about 80% of its drinking water to the city of Basel, with other municipalities also receiving water. The company is headquartered on Rheinstrasse near Pratteln and employs approximately 18 people. Until 10 December 2022, a bus stop on line 81 of Autobus AG Liestal was named after Hardwasser AG.

• 2022

  Bus stop named after Hardwasser AG renamed on 10 December.

• 2013

  New activated carbon filter facility built and operational.

• 2009

  Provisional tank filter system added.

• 2007

  Chlorobutadienes detected; authorities ordered additional treatment.

• 1977

  Infiltration facilities, ditches, and ponds completed in stages.

• 1958

  Groundwater recharge through Rhine water infiltration started.

• 1956

  Regular groundwater extraction began.

• 1955

  Hardwasser AG founded on 19 December.

• 1951

  Trial groundwater extraction started.

• 1950

  Groundwater tests began in the Hardwald forest.

Regional water utility ensuring reliable drinking water supply through artificial groundwater recharge.

• Drinking water

  Produced from Rhine water via artificial groundwater recharge and activated carbon filtration.

• Industrial water (Brauchwasser)

  Supplied to ARA-Rhein wastewater treatment plant in Pratteln.

1. 1Hardwasser Ltd. - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Hardwasser - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org