More than 1,200 hectares of land in Central Baden are contaminated with PFCs, i.e. perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals. The chemicals are suspected of being hazardous to health. Rastatt is also affected by the PFC problem. 165 hectares are currently (as of 2022) considered contaminated.
Important questions and answers
What are PFCs?
How did the PFC contamination in Mittelbaden come about?
Which areas are affected in Rastatt
What do property owners in polluted areas need to be aware of?
Private well owners in the PFC-contaminated localities should not use groundwater. Not even for watering plants or fields. The city of Rastatt supports owners of garden wells in testing their groundwater. This involves taking samples of the groundwater, sending them to a laboratory, and eventually sending the results back to the well owners. The cost of the analysis must be borne by the well owner. Assistance and further information is available from the city's water management customer service department at wasserwirtschaft@rastatt.de and from the PFC office of the Rastatt District Office at PFC@landkreis-rastatt.de.
Drinking water is not contaminated
Of the three Rastatt waterworks Niederbühl, Rauental and Ottersdorf, Niederbühl has been shut down due to PFC contamination. Rauental, however, has been upgraded with a highly effective activated carbon filter system. Stadtwerke Rastatt regularly tests the drinking water quality. The results confirm that Rastatt's drinking water can be drunk without hesitation and meets all the quality criteria of the Drinking Water Ordinance.
Further comprehensive information on the PFC problem in Rastatt: