Dangerous treasure: 10,000 grenades in the Dethlinger pond!

Dangerous treasure: 10,000 grenades in the Dethlinger pond!

Dethlinger Teich, Landkreis Heidekreis, Deutschland - The rescue work in the Dethlinger pond in the Heidekreis takes on concrete forms. By the end of May, around 10,000 ordnance, including grenades, bombs and mines, have already been recovered from the deeper layers of the pond. But the challenge is far from over: according to estimates, up to 30,000 grenades could be in the water. A gigantic undertaking in which Environment Minister Christian Meyer described the water as the "most poisonous hole in the world". The depth of the pond varies between 10 and 12 meters, whereby the rescue work is currently progressing on a depth of 4.50 meters. NDR reports .

A total of 42,000 ignition loads have already been recovered as part of this ambitious project, and it can be expected that the salvage work should be completed by 2028. However, it is questionable whether this schedule can actually be met, since the exact costs can vary as a result of the uncertain amount of ammunition residues. So far, 72 million euros have been made available for the project, assumed 18.6 million euros come from Lower Saxony. .

The renovation work is to begin in August of this year and are carried out by ordnance specialists who have to work under full protection. Due to the danger situation, your operational time is limited to a maximum of one hour per person. The Dethlinger pond, once a pebble gur pit, was burdened with over 100,000 chemical fighting after the Second World War. The proven fighter fabrics include S-Lost and Phosgen. The examination of a neighboring groundwater body that showed massive loads with female reduction products. also seems worrying. Environmental Lower Saxony could be the unprecedented extent of contaminated disposal in the Dethlinger Teich as a nationwide largest project.

The realization that over 100,000 different ordnance is suspected in this body of water is particularly important. This fact not only makes the rescue work dangerous, but also extremely expensive. The Bundeswehr Journal also illuminated the situation .

ordnance disposal in Germany

The removal of fighting in Germany is a task of the federal states, which is regulated by a variety of regulations. In Lower Saxony, 40 properties are currently suspected of contamination, 27 of which are considered risky. There are also potential dangers on other military training areas, which supports the concerns about security.

Overall, the federal government has already provided around 2.1 billion euros for steps to remedy ordnance. An additional 61 million euros are planned for the Munster military training area, near which there is also suspected chemical struggle for fighting materials. In view of all this information, it is clear: The Dethlinger Teich will remain in the focus of the attention for many years, while the salvage work will continue to be promoted.