Dangerous treasure: 10,000 grenades recovered from the Dethlinger pond!

Dangerous treasure: 10,000 grenades recovered from the Dethlinger pond!

The rescue work in the Dethlinger Teich in the Heidekreis is taking concrete shape. By the end of May, around 10,000 ordnance, including grenades, bombs and mines, had already been recovered from the deeper layers of the pond. But the challenge is far from over: estimates suggest there could be up to 30,000 shells in the water. A gigantic undertaking in which Environment Minister Christian Meyer described the body of water as the “most toxic hole in the world”. The depth of the pond varies between 10 and 12 meters, with salvage work currently progressing to a depth of 4.50 meters. NDR reports.

A total of 42,000 detonators have already been recovered as part of this ambitious project and recovery work is expected to be completed by 2028. However, it is questionable whether this schedule can actually be met, as the exact costs may vary due to the uncertain amount of leftover ammunition. To date, 72 million euros have been made available for the project, with an estimated 18.6 million euros coming from Lower Saxony. Umwelt.de has further information.

The renovation of the Dethlinger pond

The renovation work is scheduled to begin in August this year and will be carried out by explosive ordnance specialists who will have to work under full protection. Due to the dangerous situation, their deployment time is limited to a maximum of one hour per person. The Dethlinger Pond, once a diatomaceous earth mine, was contaminated with over 100,000 chemical weapons after the Second World War. The proven warfare agents include S-must and phosgene. The investigation of a neighboring groundwater body also appears to be worrying, as it revealed massive contamination with warfare agent degradation products. According to the experts from Environment Lower Saxony The unprecedented scale of the disposal of contaminated sites in the Dethlinger Pond could be considered the largest project in Germany.

What is particularly important is the finding that over 100,000 different types of weapons are suspected to be in this body of water. This fact makes the rescue work not only dangerous but also extremely expensive. The Bundeswehr Journal also highlighted the situation.

Explosive ordnance disposal in Germany

In Germany, the disposal of explosive ordnance is a task for the federal states, which is regulated by a large number of regulations. There are currently 40 properties in Lower Saxony suspected of contamination, 27 of which are considered risky. There are also potential dangers at other military training areas, which underpins concerns about safety.

In total, the federal government and the states have already provided around 2.1 billion euros for steps to dispose of explosive ordnance. An additional 61 million euros are planned for the Munster military training area, near which there is also suspicion of chemical warfare contamination. Given all this information, it is clear: the Dethlinger Pond will remain the focus of attention for many years to come as salvage work continues.