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Water balance
Lignite can only be mined dry. The groundwater around the open-cast mine must therefore be lowered to below the deepest mining level. Hundreds of pumps form several rings around the pits. The closer they are to the excavator, the deeper they have to draw.
The result of the pumping is a dewatering funnel that affects the groundwater far beyond the open-cast mine. The open-cast mine is located in the catchment areas of the Spree and the Lausitzer Neiße.
Before the start of mining, groundwater discharge generally came from the northern and southern plateaus in the direction of the Baruther Urstromtal, before turning west towards the Spreewald and east towards the Lausitzer Neiße. The natural course of the Malxe was completely interrupted during mining. With the mining-induced lowering of the groundwater level, the flow direction is reversed locally direction towards the active open-cast mine. At the end of 2021, Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the Green League filed an urgent appeal with the Cottbus Administrative Court against the main operating plan after they came to the conclusion that far more water that far more water was being pumped out of the opencast mine than was approved and permitted under water law. For example, for the year 2020 only 42 million cubic meters had been permitted. In reality, however, LEAG had pumped out a good 114 million cubic meters, almost almost three times the amount pumped out. From 2017 onwards, around 240 million cubic meters more water than permitted, which is particularly important in Brandenburg, where water is scarce. Overall, the operating plan approved by the approved by the mining authority could not be complied with without “massive violations of the applicable water law permit”.
On March 16, 2022, the Cottbus Administrative Court subsequently ordered a halt to mining from May 15, 2022. Following an appeal by LEAG, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court ruled on May 5, 2022 that mining could continue for the time being, as a halt would be associated with serious disadvantages for public interests.