Water inspection

The water inspections are usually carried out in spring and fall. The selection and frequency of water body inspections depends on the number of objections raised during the previous water body inspection.

According to Section 95 of the State Water Act, flowing waters are to be inspected by the responsible authority as part of water supervision. It must be determined, for example, whether

• the waters are properly maintained in accordance with legal requirements,
• the water structure can be improved,
• danger spots are present,
• unauthorized discharges are present,
• installations have been erected on the watercourse without authorization,
• garbage, litter or green waste is to be removed.

Those obliged to maintain the watercourse, the owners and riparians of the watercourse, those entitled to use the watercourse, those entitled to fish and the lower landscape authority must be given the opportunity to participate. The inspection dates are publicly announced two weeks in advance, as a large number of private properties are entered. It is therefore not possible to identify and notify every single property owner in advance.

The joint inspection with the water authority means that questions of responsibility can be resolved quickly and unbureaucratically on site. In the course of the water inspection, the bodies responsible for maintenance can also determine maintenance requirements for the watercourse on site, e.g. wood maintenance work for the duty to ensure public safety, and subsequently initiate this work.

Any deficiencies identified are documented and recorded following the water inspection. The follow-up and elimination of deficiencies is regulated according to the respective findings.

The frequent disposal of green waste from private gardens in and on the banks of the water is particularly noticeable. This disposal option is not permitted; it is a disposal of waste. In addition, if the green waste is washed down the nearest road culvert, this can lead to blockages and flooding. The maintenance work can be potentially life-threatening for the employees of the maintenance company. Therefore, please take your green waste to the designated collection points of the City of Aachen.