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Saving the wetlands of Weiterstadt
Three wind-powered water pumps are rescuing wetland habitats that dry out in summer, a project run by the town's environment department.
Reference project in Germany
Keeping amphibian habitats climate-resilient
The environment department (Fachgebiet Umwelt) of the town of Weiterstadt uses mechanical wind-powered water pumps (Western windmills) to feed groundwater into wetland habitats and amphibian ponds that dry out in summer, all without any electricity costs. The project is led by Anette Jung of the town's planning and environment service (Fachdienst Planung/Umwelt).
The installations run entirely off-grid and need very little maintenance, which makes them ideal for conservation sites with no power connection.
In detail
The three windmill sites
1. Schneppenhausen habitat
In operation since 2020: a 6 metre lattice tower with a W 1806 on the northern edge of Schneppenhausen. The installation is saving an important amphibian habitat and keeps a local pool permanently supplied with deep groundwater.
2. Weiterstadt town area
A second installation strengthens the local habitat network at another threatened wetland within the town area and keeps it in water even through dry summers.
3. Bräuschter Teich
Inaugurated at the end of 2024: the third installation, between Braunshardt and Schneppenhausen, is restoring a pond that had dried out long ago and is bringing the habitat back to life for birds and insects. The project is supported by Škoda Auto Deutschland.
More environmental projects
Habitat networks and biodiversity in Weiterstadt
Alongside the wind pump rescue project, the environment department of the town of Weiterstadt coordinates a range of further conservation measures: pesticide-free field margins for wild bees and farmland birds, created together with NABU Weiterstadt-Griesheim-Erzhausen (the local branch of Germany's nature conservation association), the "Blühkreisel" flowering roundabout in the West industrial estate, honoured by the Hessian environment minister in 2018, and the planning of statutory compensation areas such as traditional orchards and new ponds.
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