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The Recovered Rhine and Its History

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The Rhine

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC5,volume 5L))

Abstract

The Rhine has suffered tremendous changes: from a natural river to a heavily contaminated one, then through a purification process to a rather clean river in a highly industrialized region. The river brought wealth into Europe as a motor of global industrialization. An increase in trade and industry was followed by pollution of the river, the sediments, and the fish. Outlined is the history of the Rhine from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present, the year 2005. The changes in hydrology, the growing industry, and the peak of pollution in the 1970s are described. Then follows the success story of the Rhine, whereby the International Commission of the Protection of the Rhine, triggered by the Sandoz accident, converted it to a nearly uncontaminated stream. Hopefully another decline in the quality of river water, sediments, flora, and fauna can be prevented.

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Abbreviations

AOX:

Adsorbable organic halogens

ARW:

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rhein-Wasserwerke -- Association of Waterworks in the Rhine basin

AWBR:

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wasserwerke Bodensee--Association of Waterworks at Lake Constance and Rhine

BOD:

Biological oxygen demand

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DKR:

German Commission for the Protection of the Rhine

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

DVGW:

German Association of Gas and Water

EU:

European Union

IAWR:

International Association of Waterworks in the river Rhine basin

ICPR/CIPR/IKSR:

International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine

IPPC:

Integrated pollution and prevention control

LOD:

Limit of detection

NGO:

Non-government organizations

P3:

Polar persistent pollutants

RAP:

Rhine Action Program

RIWA:

Association of river water companies

TOC:

Total organic carbon

WFD:

European Water Framework Directive

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Acknowledgments

I am very grateful for the help of my institute's staff in preparing the manuscript, especially Dipl.-Goegr. Martina Thum, who supported me both in compiling of contents but also for formatting the text. I gratefully acknowledge also the cooperation with Heike Weil and Thomas P. Knepper, who had to include my first draft into the contributions of the other authors of this book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rhine-Main Water Research, Institute AT Mainz University, R&D Competence Center of Hessenwasser, Kurfürstenstr. 6, 65203, Wiesbaden, Germany

    Rolf-Dieter Wilken

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  1. Rolf-Dieter Wilken
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Correspondence to Rolf-Dieter Wilken .

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Thomas P. Knepper

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Wilken, RD. The Recovered Rhine and Its History. In: Knepper, T.P. (eds) The Rhine. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 5L. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_5_036

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