The OOWV, today one of the largest drinking water suppliers in Lower Saxony, was founded by the three rural districts Friesland, Wesermarsch und Wittmund in 1948. As an institution with legal standing the water and soil board of the OOWV has the function to provide and distribute drinking and utility water. To take responsibility for the whole water cycle and sustainable groundwater protection, the OOWV has operated also in the field of sewage disposal since 1999.

The rural districts, municipalities and cities, which joined the water board in the supply of drinking water and the associations of local authorities, for which the OOWV services sewage disposal send delegates to the annual general assembly. This assembly elects the director of the association and the board of directors.

Organisational structure of the OOWV.

The head office of the OOWV is located in Brake at the River Weser. There is the commercial general administration with the account departments as well as audit, personnel office, data processing, plant safety, environmental protection and a publicity department.

The division Drinking and Sewage Water Pipeline Management (TI), with 11 pipe-stations, is responsible for protection, maintenance and extension of the 13.000 km of drinking water pipeline network. The network includes sluice-valve, hydrants and 320.000 connections to houses. The devision is also responsible for the inspection, maintenance and continuous expansion of the pipeline network.

15 waterworks as well as a continually increasing number of sewage treatment plants are controlled by the division Water Sourcing / Sewage disposal (TII). At present 261 production wells deliver groundwater, which is aerated and to comply with legal obligations iron and manganese are removed. Drinking water is delivered directly to customers’ home. The sewage effluent flows directly to the sewage treatment plants, where it is treated through a number of different stages (mechanical, biological and chemical cleaning). Afterwards the treated effluent flows through main drains and ditches back into the natural water cycle.

The division Groundwater management (TIII) undertakes groundwater monitoring of about 2.000 observation wells, which provides over 70.000 results per year. These multifaceted data are used to make important decisions like assessing the impact of groundwater abstractions on the natural balance or the risk to water by pollution. From there firm measures can be taken for  sustainable groundwater protection.

Der OOWV in figures

General Company

Year of foundation		1948
Sewage disposal		since 1999
Area		7.850 km²
Clients		ca. 1 Mio.

Department of Drinking water

Members		9 rural districts, 2 cities, 1 municipality
Clients		880.000
Capacity of 15 waterworks		251.000 m³/day
Length of pipe system		13.000 km
Accesses to households		320.000
Consumption per head		121 l/day

Department of Sewage

Members		5 cities,22 municipalities, 1 water board
Accesses to houselholds		115.000
Inhabitants attached to canalisation		344.000
Capacity of sewage treatment plants (inhabitants)		736.000
Annual amount of sewage		27,6 Mio m³
Water plants (incl. dumps without effluent)		16.000

The Groundwater Protection Programme

Intensive agricultural land-use in the south of the region has caused increasing nitrate load in the groundwater. Deepening the wells was an urgent technical measure taken to reduce the nitrate concentration immediately. But to be competitive in the long term , the OOWV developed, together with the District Administration of Weser-Ems, a comprehensive programme of groundwater protection to ensure sustainable water management. Measures to reduce pollution were implemented in the late eighties. In 1992, Lower Saxony levied a water abstraction charge to finance measures for water protection. That way the combined programme of OOWV and District Administration could be achieved together with local partners.

Public relations work

There is a close link between environmental protection and healthy drinking water. An important part of our public relations work is to get this message to young people, in particular, and make them aware of the theme „water“. For interested children and adults the OOWV provides the chance to get informed about the theme „drinking water“ at 6 locations:

•		Information centre „Old waterworks“ on the island of Langeoog
•		Cascade-information house „water“ in Diekmannshausen
•		Fresh water teaching trail in Nethen
•		Service centre in the T.A.Z. in Oldenburg
•		Organic farm „Bakenhus“ in Großenkneten
•		Tree and nature teaching trail in Holdorf

Much attention is paid to children and young people

•		More than 52 pupils took part in the painting competition „I love water“.
•		The OOWV equips more and more schools with drinking water wells, so that the children can satisfy their thirst at any time.
•		Schools are involved in nature conservation projects of the OOWV.
•		Hedgerows and orchard meadows were planted with pupils’ help.
•		At the water protection area Holdorf a pure coniferous forest got a companion plantation with broad-leaved trees.

These examples show how the young generation can find out something about practical nature conservation and can also learn a lot of the relationship between good drinking water and a healthy environment.

website www.oowv.de