Environment & Climate

Brandenburg residents and scientists question industrial water allocations amid drought pressures

Tensions grow over groundwater access as manufacturing sites and mines plan expansions despite falling water levels near Berlin.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:33 UTC1 reports

The short version

Residents and researchers in Brandenburg are challenging long-standing industrial groundwater allocations granted to companies including Red Bull, Rauch, and Tesla as climate pressures reduce regional reserves.
Scientific experts argue that existing water rights rely on decades-old assessments that overestimate current groundwater availability across the region.
Communities and environmental specialists are calling for updated impact studies, greater disclosure of industrial water usage, and clear frameworks for allocating water during multi-year droughts.

In Baruth, 92% of licensed groundwater extraction from the local waterworks is allocated to beverage producers Red Bull and Rauch, leaving 8% for the town's approximately 4,300 residents.[Deutsche Welle]
Under contracts dating back roughly 30 years, Red Bull and Rauch are authorized to extract up to 7 million liters of groundwater daily, though precise usage figures and extraction costs are not publicly disclosed.[Deutsche Welle]
Tesla's Grünheide Gigafactory holds a permit to extract up to 1.4 million cubic meters of water annually while planning an expansion to produce 7,500 vehicles per week.[Deutsche Welle]
Groundwater across Brandenburg provides 95% of the state's drinking water and has struggled to replenish adequately following the 2018 drought due to elevated temperatures and evaporation.[Deutsche Welle]
Plans for deep copper mining in Spremberg have raised concerns regarding the discharge of saline and sulfurous water into the Spree river as lignite mining phaseouts already threaten to lower dry-summer river flows by up to 75%.[Deutsche Welle]

The exact volumes of groundwater currently extracted by Red Bull and Rauch, as well as the fees paid, remain unpublicized under existing legal contracts.[Deutsche Welle]
The technical and economic viability of proposed solutions, such as artificial groundwater recharge, depends on securing sufficient surplus rainfall during wet periods.[Deutsche Welle]