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

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