Groundwater protection

Groundwater protection, or water pollution control, is concerned with separating natural groundwater from man-made pollution. Groundwater protection is therefore also an important aspect of environmental protection. The aim is to protect groundwater resources so that they can be used for drinking water in the long term. Man-made pollution can be released through excavations below groundwater level, from mineral oils, de-icing salts and other traffic and transport related residues, from landfill material and from a large number of other sources.

Generally, groundwater protection involves using suitable sealing and drainage systems to prevent contaminated seepage water from entering the uncontaminated groundwater and thus to avoid uncontrolled spreading and serious damage to the environment. To this end, the water quality is continuously monitored and suitable measures and safety systems are established for the retention of pollutants. For groundwater protection, geosynthetic sealing products such as bentonite mats and polymeric geomembranes are used, as well as drainage membranes and protective non-woven fabrics.