In the Hallertau, the shallow aquifers are under stress due to the high irrigation demand for hop gardens. While the groundwater level has fallen over the last ten years, there have been several severe floods that have revealed inadequate protection.
This makes the site a perfect location for Smart-SWS, the aim of which is to infiltrate excess water into an aquifer and store it underground. The pilot plant consists of an extraction system from an existing water retention basin, treatment units, an infiltration well, and a downstream monitoring well. The entire system is continuously monitored and an automatic control system is currently being developed.
More information about the project is available at https://www.smart-sws.de/.