Drinking Water

What does it mean if there is an exceedance?

The Drinking Water Ordinance stipulates limits for chemical and microbiological parameters that usually reflect the precautionary principle. If exceedances do occur, this may not be taken to mean that there is necessarily a hazard to health. This would depend on the parameter and the level and duration of the exceedance. For instance, the presence of coliform bacteria in drinking water indicates a general deterioration of water quality and hence the need for further testing to identify the root cause and initiate preventive measures for public health protection. Exceedances of the parametric value for lead, for example, are indicators of lead pipes remaining in the domestic distribution system or fittings that are not in line with the generally recognised codes of practice.

What happens if there is an exceedance?

If and when exceedances occur, identifying and eliminating the root causes takes precedence over addressing the symptoms. Therefore, the local public health office examines if the exceedance is a health hazard that calls for immediate remedial measures or if it can be tolerated temporarily until measures to eliminate the root cause take effect.

Contents of the Drinking Water Ordinance

Drinking water is the number one food item. In addition to drinking and food preparation, it is used for domestic purposes such as washing, showering and doing the laundry. In Germany, drinking water must satisfy stringent quality requirements. The Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV), which transposes the EU Drinking Water Directive ‒ as most recently amended ‒ into national law, specifies these binding requirements. Its most basic provisions include that drinking water must not only be free from unsafe levels of substances and pathogens, but that it must also be 'pure and wholesome'.

Moreover, the Drinking Water Ordinance regulates the duties incumbent on the water suppliers and monitoring authorities; it specifies the microbiological, chemical and radiological parameters that must be tested for and the frequency with which drinking water must be monitored. In an effort to ensure the water's hygienic safety, the Ordinance also stipulates that limits and water quality requirements be met in household taps.

According to European provisions, the EURATOM Directive 2013/51, drinking water in Germany must be tested and monitored for any levels of radioactive substances. By way of the Third Amendment of the Drinking Water Ordinance, requirements for the measuring and monitoring of drinking water quality in respect of artificial and natural radioactive substances were stipulated in agreement with the Federal Environment Ministry. It stipulates, for instance, parametric values for radon, tritium, and the indicative dose including radon daughters.

While radiation exposure from radioactive substances in drinking water can be considered negligible in Germany on average, drinking water may have higher levels of natural radioactive substances locally on account of geological substrate characteristics. The provisions enhance the safety of drinking water in respect of these substances, since public health protection is paramount and the mandatory precautionary principle also applies to radiation protection.

Current version and citation of the Drinking Water Ordinance

The “Ordinance on the Quality of Drinking Water Intended for Human Consumption (Verordnung über die Qualität von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch (Trinkwasserverordnung – TrinkwV) of 20 June 2023” revises the Drinking Water Ordinance of the same title of 21 May 2001 (essentially amended by six amending ordinances adopted in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021), transposing provisions of the 2020 EU Drinking Water Directive into national law. When citing the current version of the Ordinance on the Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption (Verordnung über die Qualität von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch), it can also be referred to using the official short title “Drinking Water Ordinance” (Trinkwasserverordnung) or its official German abbreviation “TrinkwV”. For the purpose of referring to a specific version of the Drinking Water Ordinance, the full citation is appropriate. For instance, the full citation of the current version reads as follows:

“Verordnung über die Qualität von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch (Trinkwasserverordnung – TrinkwV) vom 20. Juni 2023 (BGBl. 2023 I Nr. 159, S. 2)” (Ordinance on the Quality of Water intended for Human Consumption of 20 June 2023 (Federal Law Gazette 2023 I No. 159 p. 2)) or “Trinkwasserverordnung (TrinkwV) vom 20. Juni 2023 (BGBl. 2023 I Nr. 159, S. 2)” (Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) of 20 June 2023 (Federal Law Gazette 2023 I No. 159 p. 2)).

Click here for the current version of the Drinking Water Ordinance in German (Original) | English

Functional responsibility in Germany

Responsibility on the federal level for the provisions and regulations governing drinking water quality lies with the Federal Ministry of Health. In fulfilling this task, it draws on the technical expertise of the German Environment Agency (UBA), with the latter’s “Drinking Water and Swimming Pool Water Hygiene” Department being subject to the Ministry’s operational oversight. The UBA’s tasks in the field of drinking water hygiene are stipulated in section 40 of the Protection against Infection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz) and in the Drinking Water Ordinance.

Consumers who want to get information in addition to that included in the report can obtain details on the drinking water quality in their supply zone from their local public health office or water supplier.