Drinking water prices in Osnabrück are rising: What that means for you!

Drinking water prices in Osnabrück are rising: What that means for you!

In Osnabrück there will soon be a reason to use the tap a little more carefully: from July 1, 2023, drinking water prices will rise by nine cents to 2.08 euros per cubic meter. This adjustment is primarily due to rising operating costs and necessary investments in the infrastructure of the municipal utilities. Sebastian Phillip, press spokesman for Stadtwerke Osnabrück, emphasizes the importance of these measures for the future water supply in the region. This information was provided by OS Radio provided.

How does this increase manifest itself specifically? A single household that uses an average of 50 cubic meters of water per year is confronted with costs around four euros higher. For a family of four that expects 150 cubic meters, the additional costs add up to around ten euros per year. The price adjustment remains in the middle range compared to other cities in Lower Saxony.

Investments in the future

The municipal utilities are putting great effort into optimizing their systems. A particularly large project is the PROWasser initiative, which costs over 120 million euros. This includes the new construction of the Thiene waterworks, the construction of a new transport pipeline to Osnabrück and an elevated water tank on Schinkelberg. Tino Schmelzle, Managing Director of SWO Netz, emphasizes: “The drinking water supply is of central importance for the population.”

When you look at the assumed frequency of consumption, it becomes clear what one cubic meter of water means: This can be used, for example, to do 22 washing machine wash cycles or cook dinner eleven times for a family of four. This shows how valuable and versatile our drinking water is in daily use.

Nevertheless, the high expenditure on drinking water is related to a general trend in Germany. Data from Federal Statistical Office show that the costs for drinking water supply and wastewater disposal are collected and published every three years to ensure transparent pricing. This information supports the comparability of price developments in different federal states and regions.

In summary, it should be noted that the adjustment of water prices from July is a step in the right direction for Osnabrück in order to be able to guarantee a reliable and high-quality drinking water supply in the future. It is therefore up to each and every one of us to handle the valuable resource of water carefully in the future.