An institution of DVGW

Risk management

In June 2023, the new Drinking Water Ordinance (“Trinkwasserverordnung”, TrinkwV) came into force in Germany. Since then, water supply companies are obligated, among other things, to implement continuous risk management for water supply facilities (§ 34 TrinkwV). At TZW, we support water suppliers in setting up such a risk management system in accordance with DIN-EN 15975-2, drawing on our many years of experience: Risk management in water supply has been a key issue for TZW for 20 years. Risk management for the catchment area holds a separate position in risk management. This will become even more important with the new Drinking Water Catchment Area Ordinance (Trinkwassereinzugsgebieteverordnung, TrinkwEGV) of 4 December 2023. Accordingly, the documents for the assessment of the catchment area must be submitted to the competent authority by 12 November 2025.

The project steps (see Fig. 1) are carried out in close coordination with the utility company involved and are adapted to local requirements in terms of scope and level of detail.

Risk management process step by step

Figure 1: Steps in the risk management process.

RiskPlus software solution

RiskPlus Logo
RiskPlus Logo

RiskPlus makes it possible to set up a risk management system from a single source - from the catchment area to delivery to the consumer. The web-based software offers all the necessary elements to fulfil the risk management requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance and Drinking Water Catchment Area Ordinance. By integrating a WebGIS, numerous helpful functionalities are available with which events and risks can be mapped and analysed spatially. The software solution contains basic data for hazard carriers as well as extensive proposals for hazard events and measures.

WEBSITE RISKPLUS 

The concept TZW_RISK

Our "TZW_RISK" concept fulfils the legal requirements and is based on the generally recognised rules of technology. To this end, it combines expertise from the relevant TZW departments and specialist areas. Thanks to its modular structure (see Fig. 2), TZW_RISK can be flexibly adapted to local conditions and the distribution of tasks between TZW and WVU. Another advantage for our customers is that they only have one contact person at TZW that coordinates the development of the risk management system internally. In the future, TZW_RISK will be processed using the RiskPlus software solution. 

Modular structure of the TZW_Risk concept
Figure 2. TZW-concept TZW_RISK.

Figure 2: TZW-concept TZW_RISK.

What do we offer?

Further services relating to risk management in the water sector 

  • Risk management systems for the entire supply system in accordance with §34 TrinkwV and DIN EN 15975-2 or DVGW W1001 (M)
  • Specia case:  Risk management in the catchment area in accordance with TrinkwEGV or DVGW-Information Wasser No. 105
  • Development and support for the introduction of risk management in water supply companies
  • Proposals for adapting or maintaining the monitoring plan in accordance with TrinkwV § 37 [formerly: Risk-based adaptation of the sampling plan (RAP)]
  • Criticality and vulnerability analyses
    • Resilience analyses, e.g. in accordance with DVGW W1003 (A), BBK-funded project KRITIS-GIS_T
    • Climate change adaption, e.g. our current DVGW-funded project ResilJetzt!

TZW's work is based, among other things, on:

  • Drinking Water Ordinance (“Trinkwasserverordnung”, TrinkwV), especially §34 and §35 TrinkwV
  • Drinking Water Catchment Areas Ordinance (“Trinkwassereinzugsgebieteverordnung, TrinkwEGV)
  • DIN EN 15975-2: Security of drinking water supply - Guidelines for risk and crisis management - Part 2: Risk management (December 2013)
  • DVGW W1001 (M): Security in drinking water supply - Risk and crisis management (November 2020)
  • DVGW-Information WASSER No. 105: Security in drinking water supply - Risk management in normal operation for catchment areas of groundwater wells for drinking water abstraction (January 2021)
  • DVGW W1003 (A): Resilience and security of supply in the public water supply (June 2022)

 

Methods and equipment
  • Data analysis and scientific  evaluations, document review
  • Analyses of water quality data
  • Site and facility inspections, meetings with authorities & stakeholder workshops
  • Geographic Information Systeme (GIS) for analyses of water catchments (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Desktop, QGIS)
  • Expertise in accordance with theTrinkwV § 35 or TrinkwEGV § 13 (Documentation of relevant university education, professional experience, or training is available)
Publications

Willmitzer, H.; Sturm, S.; Brauer, F.: Risiken für die Wasserqualität – was ist wirklich wichtig? WasserWirtschaft 115 Heft 2-3, 106-109 (2025), http://doi.org/10.1007/s35147-025-2468-3.

 

Müller, B. M.; Vollmer, T.; Brauer,F.; Sturm, S.; Brenner, S.; Simon, N. (2024): Risikomanagement: Wie eine praxisnahe Umsetzung der neuen Trinkwassereinzugsgebieteverordnung aussehen kann. DVGW energie | wasser-praxis, Ausgabe 5/2024.

 

Huber, L.; Vollmer, T.; Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Rickert, B.; Damons, M. (2023): Integrated Climate-resilient Water And Sanitation Safety Planning In Southern Africa: Baseline For Developing A Holistic Approach. Posterpräsentation bei der 19. IWA Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies (LET), 24.-28.06.2024, Essen.

 

Sturm, S.; Brauer, F.; Hegewald, T.; Freier, K.: (2022) Risk Assessment and Implementing Risk Management for a Complex Drinking Water Reservoir-System in Saxony, Germany. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 97-98; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

 

Rickert, B.; Zügner, V.; Sturm, S.; Brauer, F. (2022): Germany’s Way to WSP Through Policy Actions and Technical Standards. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 66-68; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

 

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Kaupe, M.; Schiffman, S. (2022): Risk Assessment for Groundwater Catchment Areas. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 101-102; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

 

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Fischer, T.; Gottwalt, J.; Hahne, L. (2022): Web-Based Software Application for Risk Management of Drinking-Water Supplies. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 124-125; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

 

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Hegewald, T.; Freier, K.: (2021): Risikomanagement für ein komplexes Talsperrensystem. DVGW energie | wasser-praxis 05/2021, 72-77.

 

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Kaupe, M.; Schiffmann, S. (2019): Mehrwert des Risikomanagements für den Wasserversorger. DVGW energie | wasser-praxis 12/2019, 53-55.

 

Riegel, M.: Kritikalitätsanalyse für Objekte der Trinkwasserversorgung. In: Zukunftsthemen der Wasserversorgung. Veröffentlichungen aus dem Technologiezentrum Wasser 90, ISSN 1434-5765, 117-133 (2019): Identifizierung kritischer Infrastrukturen in der Wasserversorgung (KRITISGIS-T); Projekt im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK); (2017 – 2020).

 

Sturm, S.:  Sicherheit in der Trinkwasserversorgung – Water Safety Plans als Instrument zum Risikomanagement. In: Risiken in der Wasserversorgung. Stuttgarter Berichte zur Siedlungswasserwirtschaft., Bd. 235, 35-46 (2017).

 

Brauer, F.; Bethmann, D.; Kaupe, M.; Schiffmann, S. (2015): Risikomanagement für ein Kölner Wasserwerk. DVGW energie | wasser-praxis (6), S. 42–50.

 

Umweltbundesamt(UBA) und TZW [Hg.]; Schmoll, O.; Bethmann, D.; Sturm, S.; Schnabel, B. (2014): Das Water-Safety-Plan-Konzept: Ein Handbuch für kleine Wasserversorgungen. Dessau-Roßlau. https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/374/publikationen/wps-handbuch-web.pdf.

Contact

Dipl.-Geoökol. Sebastian Sturm +49 721 9678-200 Send email
 
Dipl.-Geoökol. Friederike Brauer +49 721 9678-286 Send email
 
Dr. Birgit Maria Müller +49 721 9678-290 +49 721 9678-102 Send email
 

Projects

Sampling of groundwater
Sampling of groundwater
Assessment of nitrate contamination in groundwater (ArNO)

The revision of nitrate comtaminated areas (so-called "Rote Gebiete") is currently the subject of debate. In some areas, farmers and water suppliers…

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Impact of climate change on groundwater availability in Germany (GW-Impact)

To investigate the increasing spatio-temporal variability of groundwater recharge in the future, both locally and regionally, and its specific effects…

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Dreisam near Freiburg
Consequences of heavy rainfall and dry periods (RiQO)

In order to counteract future negative impacts of extreme weather events on the water quality of stream waters, practical prevention and management…

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