Berlin’s water war reaches court as peatlands and CO₂ storage hang in balance

Environmentalists take on Berlin’s Senate in a high-stakes legal fight. Will the city finally enforce rules to save its drying peatlands and locked-away carbon?

, and Administrator

2026 January 15 . 3:38 AM

1 min read

The image shows a bridge over a body of water shrouded in fog, with a wooden fence on the left side... — The image shows a bridge over a body of water shrouded in fog, with a wooden fence on the left side and trees in the background.

Berlin’s water war reaches court as peatlands and CO₂ storage hang in balance

A legal battle over Berlin’s water management is set to unfold in court this week. The Berlin State Working Group for Nature Conservation (BLN) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate Department for Climate Protection. At stake are the city’s peatlands, which store vast amounts of CO₂ but face threats from falling groundwater levels.

The BLN’s lawsuit, submitted in 2021, targets the Senate’s handling of water extraction permits. Only two of Berlin’s nine waterworks currently hold valid permits, with the rest operating without approval since 1996. Environmentalists argue the delay is intentional, allowing the city to bypass environmental assessments required under EU law.

The complaint calls for stricter protections in key areas, including Spandau, Lake Müggel, and the Grunewald Forest. It also demands legally binding minimum groundwater levels, with mandatory cuts to extraction if thresholds aren’t met. Meanwhile, the Senate insists it balances drinking water security with peatland conservation but criticises nature groups for refusing dialogue.

Environmental organisations like BUND have pushed for additional measures, such as summer watering bans and mandatory greywater recycling. The state has already imposed some extraction limits and peatland safeguards, but critics say these fall short of what’s needed to prevent CO₂ release from drying peat.

The administrative court hearing on Thursday will decide whether the Senate must act on the long-pending permits. A ruling in favour of the BLN could force stricter water management rules across Berlin. The outcome may also influence how the city addresses climate risks tied to its peatlands in the future.