These are uncharted waters for the Grand Duchy, and the weather is not the only grounds for concern: demographic trends and economic growth contribute to the challenges ahead.
These, at least, are the points Democratic Party MP Gusty Graas raised in a parliamentary question to the Minister for the Environment. Specifically, he wanted to know about sources of drinking water in Luxembourg: whether they were all in use, the quality of the water, whether more sources could be located or whether lesser quality water could be used elsewhere.
Carole Dieschbourg replied that, when it came to finding and drawing water from springs, one had to differentiate between public and private use, and between human, cattle or horticultural use.
In terms of the latter, there were, at this point in time, 310 water sources in Luxembourg that produced roughly 2,3 million cubic metres of water per year, which constitutes roughly 5% of the water extracted from our own terrain. In terms of the former, 270 sources supplied 45 million cubic metres. Waters that were beyond use were due to the presence of nitrate or other pharmaceutical residue such as dichlorobenzamiden or dymethyl sulfides.
In order to avert further pollution, prevention was more important than treatment, as trying to return water to a drinkable was not only expensive, but did also not guarantee success. Carole Dieschbourg confirmed that they were indeed trying to unearth new springs, with efforts reaching 150m below ground.
Finally, trying to use polluted waters for other purposes, such as cooling systems, was difficult considering the complexity of keeping clean and contaminated waters separate.
