Association meeting sets the course for the new financial year

On Friday, 19 December 2025, the Association Assembly of the Ruhrverband, which was reconstituted following the NRW municipal elections, met at the Philharmonie in Essen. "I am delighted that the 150 voting delegates from municipalities, waterworks and commercial and industrial companies in the Ruhr catchment area have set the course for the 2026 financial year and at the same time approved the 2024 annual financial statements," explained Lord Mayor Thomas Kufen, Chairman of the Association Council of the Ruhrverband.

The Essen-based water management association has been responsible for water management issues in the Ruhr catchment area for 113 years now - across all political constellations: from Winterberg in the Sauerland low mountain range to Duisburg in the Ruhr metropolitan region. Around 4.6 million people obtain their drinking water from the Ruhr and can rely on the Ruhrverband's dependable work in operating the reservoirs and treating wastewater to a high standard of quality.

The Ruhrverband's reservoirs are currently 73 per cent full. This filling level corresponds to 97 per cent of the long-term average and ensures that the water supply is guaranteed even in a potentially dry year 2026 (such as 2025). The Ruhrverband Act, which was amended at the end of last year, has led to savings of around 30 million cubic metres of water being released from the reservoirs this year. "This volume of savings corresponds to the construction of a new dam the size of the Verse dam," explains the new Chairman of the Ruhrverband's Executive Board, Prof Christoph Donner.

However, these savings are associated with considerable efforts. Before the new legal regulations were applied for the first time, the sewage treatment plants in Bestwig and Arnsberg-Neheim had to be retrofitted with powdered activated carbon dosing systems for the elimination of trace substances. The expansion was completed on time by 1 July 2025. In addition, the Ruhrverband had to commit to equipping ten further wastewater treatment plants with a fourth treatment stage and implementing extensive monitoring measures. These investments will be realised over the next five to ten years.

"Despite the additional requirements and the associated investment and operating costs, we can still provide for moderate increases in contributions for 2026," emphasises CFO Christoph Gerbersmann. The contribution adjustment for wastewater treatment is 3.2 per cent and 2.1 per cent for raw water supply. For a four-person household, this means an average increase of around one euro per month in the Ruhrverband's share of the wastewater charges. The share of the drinking water price will increase by an average of around half a cent per cubic metre.

At the same time, the level of debt in the core business was reduced by a further 17 million euros to 237 million euros. The moderate increases in contributions over the past 15 years and the consistent reduction in debt form a solid basis for the challenges ahead. These arise on the one hand from the consequences of climate change - particularly in the fields of reservoir management and flood protection - and on the other hand from stricter legal requirements, such as the EU Water Framework Directive, the accompanying agreement to the Ruhr Association Act and the new municipal wastewater ordinance. In addition, many of the wastewater treatment plants built between 1990 and 2005 are reaching an age at which maintenance and reinvestment costs are increasing significantly. Against the backdrop of the upcoming investment decade, future increases in contributions are therefore likely to be higher than in the past. It is therefore all the more important in legislation to consistently implement the extended producer responsibility and thus the cost sharing of the polluters.

In the coming year, subject to approval by the NRW Ministry of the Environment, the town of Meinerzhagen will transfer its task of collecting and transporting wastewater, including the municipal sewer network, to the Ruhrverband. In addition, the association will take over the water maintenance obligation for the waters of the municipalities in the Olpe district and the town of Halver; this takeover is also still subject to approval by the NRW Ministry of the Environment. With these new tasks, the Ruhrverband is expanding its portfolio to support the provision of water management services for our Ruhr region.

Meeting the challenges ahead requires qualified specialists. With an average employee age of around 45 years, Ruhrverband has a wealth of experience, but is also faced with the task of further rejuvenating its workforce. In 2025, 77 new employees were recruited; 25 young people are currently undergoing training. The proportion of women is 31 per cent and around 35 per cent of managers. "We are creating 72 new positions for 2026 in order to successfully manage the tasks ahead," explains HR Director Carolin-Beate Fieback.

The newly composed Association Assembly elected the following members to the Association Council:

For the cities and municipalities:
Mayor Dr Jacqueline Bila, Sundern (re-elected);
Councillor Züleyha Demir, Bochum (re-elected);
Lord Mayor Thomas Kufen, Essen (re-elected);
Councillor Jochen Ritter MdL, Olpe (re-elected);
Councillor Inge Blask MdL, Hemer;
Councillor Claus Rudel, Hagen;
Mayor Melanie Witte-Lonsing, Hattingen

For the districts:
District Administrator Theo Melcher, Olpe district

For the water consumers:
Dr Dirk Waider, Gelsenwasser AG (re-elected)

For the commercial companies:
Christoph Aßmann, Lobbe Entsorgung West GmbH & Co. KG, Iserlohn

For the employee representatives:
Bernd Guske, Chairman of the Staff Council (re-election);
Jörg Gilberg, 1st Deputy Chairman of the Staff Council (re-election);
Martin Kelbert, 2nd Deputy Chairman of the Staff Council (re-election);
Gabriele Schmidt, ver.di Regional Director (re-election);
David Lehmann, ver.di Trade Union Secretary (re-election)