Hamburg - The river Elbe

The area of Hamburg has been chosen because of its socio-economic importance and existing environmental concerns. A great challenge in the Hamburg area is to ensure environmental quality and quality of life without sacrificing its economic competitiveness, e.g. of the port.

Current environmental problems are mainly related to sediment contamination, which reflects the industrial history of the Elbe. In this sediment all other heavy metals and Arsenic frequently exceed the target values of the International Commission for the Protection of the Sea (IKSE), with the exception of Chromium and Nickel. In order to maintain navigational water depths in the Elbe, large volumes of this sediment are dredged. Open water disposal or the relocation downstream is restricted and treatment followed by disposal on land has been in operation for years. Since 1999 increasing volumes of sediments that accumulate in the area of the Hamburg Harbour have put increasing pressure on the economy and on the environment as this material can not be accommodated on land.

This case study aimed to identify and structure the complex situation in the Elbe, embedded in diverse socio-economic and environmental interests in order to better facilitate communication.

Outcomes

• The chapter "Environmental challenges for the Hamburg stretch of the River Elbe and its catchment with regard to the Water Framework Directive" of the Watersketch Handbook can be downloaded here