Wupperverband

Wupperverband (Wupper River Association) is a public-law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) established in 1930 to manage water resources across municipal boundaries in the 813 km² catchment area of the Wupper river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Headquartered in Wuppertal, it is one of the largest water management associations in the state. Its members include cities, municipalities, districts, water supply companies, and industrial and commercial enterprises in the Wupper region. The association is financed through member contributions and is governed by a 101-delegate assembly (Verbandsversammlung) and an executive board (Vorstand). Wupperverband operates 14 dams (Talsperren), 11 wastewater treatment plants (Kläranlagen), a sludge incineration plant, flood retention basins, and maintains approximately 2,000 kilometres of rivers and streams. Its responsibilities cover wastewater treatment, flood protection, low-water augmentation, watercourse maintenance and restoration, drinking and industrial water supply, and water resource monitoring. The association also provides services nationwide through its subsidiary WiW mbH, founded in 1997, and participates in several other GmbHs including Klärschlammverwertung Buchenhofen GmbH, PhosRec Phosphor-Recycling GmbH, and Bergische Wasser- und Umweltlabor GmbH. As a public-law entity, Wupperverband prioritises the protection and sustainable management of water resources over profit, aiming to provide maximum service at reasonable cost for its members and citizens. It is a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wasserwirtschaftsverbände in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Working Group of Water Management Associations in North Rhine-Westphalia). The association employs approximately 450 staff and trains around 20 apprentices on average.

The Wupper river catchment area has hosted pre-industrial textile and haberdashery production since the 15th century, later known as 'Barmer Kurzwaren' after the town of Barmen. These industries intensively used the springs and rivers for supply, disposal, and hydropower. In the 19th century, chemical and pharmaceutical industries emerged, including Bayer in 1863 in what is now Wuppertal-Heckinghausen, along with metalworking and machinery. Industrialisation severely polluted the Wupper, especially downstream of Wuppertal; the last salmon was sighted in 1830. The Eschbach Dam was built between 1889 and 1891 as Germany's first drinking water dam on a Wupper tributary. A Prussian law of 19 May 1891 created the legal basis for compulsory membership of industry in a water cooperative in the Wupper area. The 'Wuppertalsperrengesetz' and the founding of the 'Genossenschaft zur Errichtung von Thalsperren' in 1896 initially served dam construction for water and energy supply, not wastewater treatment. After the municipal reform of 1 August 1929 (creation of the city of Wuppertal), the Wupperverband was founded on 8 January 1930 by a special Prussian law, the Wupperverbandsgesetz, with municipalities and industry as members. This enabled catchment-wide wastewater management. The association has since expanded its responsibilities to include flood protection, low-water augmentation, watercourse restoration, and water resource monitoring. In 1997, with the founding of WiW mbH, it began offering services nationwide. The Wupperverbandsgesetz was last amended in 2012.

• 2012

  Wupperverbandsgesetz last amended.

• 1997

  Founding of WiW mbH; Wupperverband begins offering services nationwide.

• 1930

  Wupperverbandsgesetz comes into force on 8 January; Wupperverband founded.

• 1929

  Municipal reform creates the city of Wuppertal on 1 August.

• 1896

  Founding of 'Genossenschaft zur Errichtung von Thalsperren'.

• 1891

  Prussian law of 19 May 1891 creates basis for compulsory water cooperative membership.

• 1889

  Construction of Eschbach Dam begins (completed 1891), Germany's first drinking water dam.

• 1830

  Last salmon sighted in the Wupper.

Public-law water management association prioritising resource protection and sustainable management over profit.

• Wastewater treatment

  Operation of 11 wastewater treatment plants in the Wupper catchment.

• Flood protection

  Flood retention basins and flood protection measures.

• Drinking water supply

  Provision of water for drinking and industrial use.

• Dam operation

  Operation of 14 dams for water supply, flood control, and low-water augmentation.

• Watercourse maintenance and restoration

  Maintenance and renaturation of approximately 2,000 km of rivers and streams.

• Water resource monitoring

  Monitoring of water resources and ecological conditions.

1. 1Wupperverband official websitewupperverband.de
2. 2Über uns | Wupperverbandwupperverband.de
3. 3GmbHs | Wupperverbandwupperverband.de
4. 4Allgemeines | Wupperverbandwupperverband.de
5. 5Wupperverband - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Wupperverband - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org