Water law

The purpose of the regulations under water law is to protect water bodies as a component of the natural balance, basis of human life, habitat for animals and plants as well as a usable resource by means of sustainable water body management.

The City of Rosenheim as the lower water authority is responsible for the implementation of water law procedures and the monitoring of the related regulations, unless other authorities are exceptionally responsible.

  • Building in a floodplain When constructing or modifying facilities in a floodplain, special legal and factual requirements arise. Under certain circumstances, a special permit under water law may be required. More detailed information can be found in this information sheet.

    Construction on water bodies The construction, substantial modification or decommissioning of facilities on water bodies may require a permit under water law with regard to possible effects on the water body, unless a building permit is already required. The corresponding application must be submitted to the Ordnungsamt, Fachbereich Wasserrecht if a building application for the project has not already been submitted to the Bauordnungsamt anyway.

    Temporary construction water drain age The pumping out of groundwater for the temporary draining of a construction site or excavation pit requires a permit under water law as a use of water. This permit is not included in a construction permit and must be applied for separately at the Ordinance Office if required. In case of an intended discharge of water into the sewer system, it is recommended to coordinate the construction water drainage with the municipal drainage department, Tel. +49 (0) 80 31 / 365-17 58, before submitting the application. Application for temporary construction dewatering

    Permanent groundwater detour by buildings If parts of buildings, such as basements or underground garages, are immersed in the groundwater flow, a permit under water law for water use may be required independently of any building permit that may also be required. The corresponding application must be submitted to the Ordnungsamt, Fachbereich Wasserrecht. For an informal preliminary arrangement of the procedure, you can contact the Ordnungsamt using the contact details provided.

    Watercourse development The construction, removal and substantial alteration of a watercourse or its banks constitutes a watercourse development for which official planning approval is required, unless the statutory regulations provide for planning approval instead. The same applies to dikes or dam constructions that influence flood runoff.

  • In the course of Rosenheim's history, there have been repeated flood events due to its location on the Inn and Mangfall rivers. Most recently, in June 2013, prolonged precipitation led to a catastrophic flood with considerable damage in Rosenheim's urban area.

    Due to the dike construction measures carried out in recent years, only a few parts of the city area are currently located in an area that has been announced as a provisionally secured floodplain of the Mangfall. The basis for this is a flood event that is to be expected on statistical average once in 100 years. Announcement dated 05.12.2019 with additional explanations as well as representation of the affected area.

    In addition to the floodplain of the Mangfall, the floodplain of the Augraben was also announced as provisionally secured.Announcement of 08.06.2018 with additional explanations as well as representation of the affected area.

    In addition, large parts of the built-up areas of the Rosenheim urban area are located in a risk area that can be affected in the event of an extreme flood, i.e. a flood that is expected to occur less frequently than a 100-year flood.

    Further information on floodplains as well as plans of the various floodplains are available from the Bavarian State Office for the Environment.

  • The objectives of water legislation also include the protection of water bodies against adverse changes in their properties when handling substances hazardous to water. In particular, §§ 62 and 63 of the Water Resources Act (WHG) and the Ordinance on Installations for the Handling of Substances Hazardous to Water (AwSV) stipulate requirements in this regard.

    Heating oil storage

    According to the Ordinance on Installations for Handling Substances Hazardous to Water (AwSV), various obligations must be observed when storing heating oil. In particular, depending on the size of the heating oil tank, its construction (aboveground/underground) and its location, there are differentiated notification and inspection obligations

    • before the initial commissioning,
    • in the event of a significant change,
    • during ongoing operation,
    • during decommissioning.

    Special requirements and restrictions depending on the tank's location in a floodplain must also be observed.

    According to § 44 of the Plant Ordinance (AwSV), the officially published leaflet Operating and Behavioral Regulations for Operators of Heating Oil Consumer Plants must be displayed in a clearly visible place near the plant or in the boiler room in the case of heating oil consumer plants.

    We would be pleased to be at your disposal at the telephone number given to discuss the respective existing regulations for your tank.

    Forms of necessary notifications for various substances hazardous to water can be found here: Storage of substances hazardous to water Storage of substances hazardous to water for barrel and drum storage You can obtain further information on this from the State Office for the Environment.

    For more information on the necessary tests and the question of whether the commissioning of a specialized company is mandatory, as well as a list of corresponding organizations, please also contact the State Office for the Environment.

    A list of experts for the fulfillment of possible inspection obligations can also be found at the State Office for the Environment.

  • Acute water hazard

    We ask you to report concrete dangers to water bodies or groundwater, such as oil spills, by calling the emergency number 112.

    Further contact persons and specialized authorities in case of other contaminations can be reached during normal office hours under the following telephone numbers:

    • Water Management Office Rosenheim as technical water supervision and maintenance authority for the large water bodies Inn, Mangfall and Kalten as well as specialist authority for soil protection+49 (0) 80 31 / 305-01
    • Civil Engineering Office of the City of Rosenheim, generally as the person responsible for the maintenance of the other water bodies+49 (0) 80 31 / 365-17 46
    • Ordnungsamt Rosenheim as water and soil protection authority +49 (0) 80 31 / 365-13 11

    Swimming lakes

    The Rosenheim State Health Office continuously publishes the assessment of the Rosenheim bathing lakes. For more information, please contact the State Health Office at the Rosenheim District Office at +49 (0) 80 31 / 392-0 (operator). Drinking water, water hardness

    The Rosenheim public utility company supplies the drinking water in Rosenheim. Further information is available from the Rosenheim public utility company at Tel. +49 (0) 80 31 / 365-26 26.

  • The information in the subject area of water law represents a summary of various legal provisions that is as clear as possible. For the sake of clarity, it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of all legal requirements and individual regulations that may come into question, so that the water law regulations must continue to be observed in their respective wording.

    Application documents The necessary application documents for water law permits or approvals depend on the respective project. When preparing documents, the Ordinance on Plans and Supplements in Water Law Procedures (WPBV) must be observed. For preliminary coordination of the necessary documents, you can contact the Ordinance Office, Water Law Department.

    Data protection Information on data protection in water law procedures.