According to a study in Germany, the cost of wastewater treatment varies widely in different cities. Households in Mönchengladbach pay the most, almost 700 euros more per year than consumers in Worms.
Residents living in Mönchengladbach have the highest wastewater treatment costs in a national comparison. Annual fees and contributions for a model family of four in the city of North Rhine-Westphalia amount to approximately EUR 985. This is the result of a comparison of sewage charges in German cities by the consulting firm IW Consult on behalf of the Haus und Grund owners association.
Therefore, in other cities, the cost is much cheaper. For example, in Worms in Rhineland-Palatinate, a family only needs to pay about 245 euros per year, which is only about a quarter of that in Mönchengladbach. From the perspective of the association’s president, Kai Warnecke, the huge disparity is evidence that fees are too high in some places: “Savings are possible and cities and municipalities can act.”
more spacious than Monchengladbach cause high cost
The Association of Municipal Companies (VKU), which represents the vast majority of water companies, points out individual cases, such as height differences or separate discharges of rainwater and sewage. “The level of sewerage charges varies from region to region, from city to city, and even has to vary to take into account different services, locations and local conditions,” a spokesman said. Overall considerations are therefore moot.
A spokesman for the city of Mönchengladbach argued that the higher sewage charges were justified due to the size of the city. Some 270,000 citizens pay to use the 1,400-kilometer sewer system. In Düsseldorf, on the other hand, the 1,650 km sewer network covers 612,000 people, ie more people who have to pay.
The spokesperson also noted that in recent years the city has significantly expanded its sewer network and renovated or modernized existing networks due to the development of new housing estates. In addition, projects to protect against storm events and inflationary consequences also incur costs.
Leipzig sees biggest rise in house prices
In Mönchengladbach, prices have increased by 46 euros compared to the last wastewater ranking in 2020. As a result, the city ranks last in Potsdam, where processing costs are only 18 euros higher than three years ago (958 euros). In Halle an der Saale (879 euros) and Cottbus (878 euros), citizens are also required to pay high fees.
However, the largest increase was seen in the city of Leipzig, where households had to pay 292 euros (778.61 euros) more than in 2020. However, according to IW Consult, this is mainly due to the contribution of canal construction. Indeed, since 2020, two-thirds of municipalities have increased wastewater charges – for example, in Düren (North Rhine-Westphalia) model households have increased by €140 per year to €657, justifying the “massive investment” . But things also went in the opposite direction.
According to the study, a third of municipalities have reduced fees – in some places by just a few euros, in others by a lot. Gütersloh was 99 euros cheaper (to 482 euros), Krefeld 66 euros cheaper to 680 euros and Lübeck 63 euros cheaper to 743 euros. At the top of the list (i.e. the cheap end), after Worms are Ludwigsburg (€288), Hanau (€307), Regensburg (€329), Karlsruhe (€ €340), Frankfurt/Main (€346) and Augsburg (€365)).
cost difference “unacceptable”
Warnecke, president of Haus und Grund, admits that every city in Germany cannot have the same sewage charges. But the huge difference is still “unacceptable”. “Utilities and cities must be involved because every euro of relief counts.”
Shockingly, many cities in North Rhine-Westphalia have high electricity tariffs, while many cities in southern Germany have low electricity tariffs. According to study author Hanno Kempermann, the structure of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia is, on average, no different from southern German cities. However, many cities in the most populous federal state have experienced budgetary emergencies – a “point of validity” to explain the relatively high value.
Analyzing the charging development of the 100 most populous cities in Germany since 2020, the living area of a four-person family is 120 square meters, the house is 200 square meters, and the national average daily water consumption is 125 liters.