Watershed management in Germany and the United States: A comparison

Environmental problems, of course, know no boundaries and are not unique to any particular area or country. What can and does vary widely is how these problems are perceived and how they are addressed. The major objective of visiting Germany in general and the Rhine in particular was to become informed on watershed management practices and techniques employed to control water quality in another highly developed country. This article, based on information gathered during a visit to Germany sponsored by the American Council on Germany, compares and contrasts some aspects of water pollution control and watershed management in Germany and the United States. Some major differences are: the federal government in the United States plays an active and, some would say, a preeminent role in enforcement whereas in Germany, it is the Lander or states which exercise this function exclusively. Second, Germany has relied on effluent standards alone and while the United States specifies effluent standards, it has in-stream water quality objectives that must be met and these can result in treatment beyond the specified effluent-limits. A third major difference is that in the United States, the public has much greater access to the performance records of wastewater treatment facilities. One similarity between the two countries is the growing emphasis on pollution prevention rather than solely on waste treatment. A more global hope is that some of the information here will help countries which are now rioting that environmental protection is part of economic growth and development to benefit from the experiences, both good and bad, that two major economies have endured. Certainly one of the major lessons is the advantage that accrues from taking into account waste prevention and disposal from the very beginning of any production process.