We have already introduced you to the district heating tunnel, but RheinEnergie AG actually has even more to offer! Have you ever been to one of our waterworks? We can highly recommend a tour! We took a look at the Weiler waterworks and were not only warmly welcomed by Raffaela Pochiero, but also perfectly informed about the drinking water supply in our beautiful city! Conclusion: Don't be afraid of tap water, because as the Bläck Fööss have already found out: The water from Cologne is good!
Small nature trail in front of the waterworks
We arrive early and can admire various pipes and systems in front of the waterworks that were used in the past or are still used today. In other words, everything that is actually invisible to us but ensures that we are always supplied with fresh water. And since the individual parts have such beautiful and sometimes bizarre names that we as average consumers never use in everyday language, they simply have to be mentioned here: You will find such great things here as a combination shut-off flap, a stainless steel slotted bridge filter pipe and a cast iron socket pressure pipe. The horizontal double-flow centrifugal pump almost sounds like an imaginative insult when used as a speech in the perfect Cologne singsong. ;-)
Historic building
Raffaela now leads us onto the site and we first learn that the brick building has quite a history. It was built between 1928 and 1931 and is of course a listed building. The architect behind the building was none other than Clemens Klotz from Cologne, whose father was the owner of the Hänneschen Theater. Clemens, on the other hand, rose to become one of Hitler's favorite architects and was involved in the design of the Prora seaside resort, among other things. There are also two sculptures of fish at the entrance, created by another well-known Cologne resident: Willy Meller, the so-called eagle maker, also a Hitler protégé. Both names are also on Hitler's list of God-gifted people.
Modern water supply for Cologne
But we are here because of the water. In Cologne we have a total of six waterworks, two on the left bank of the Rhine, four on the right. The city has had a modern water supply for 150 years, until then the only way to get water was through wells. The age of industrialization slowly ushered in the construction of waterworks and the electrification of cities. Of course, a lot has changed since then, the waterworks now runs largely autonomously thanks to the latest technology, and the demands of the times are more about defending against and preventing sabotage and cyber attacks, which makes RheinEnergie's IT department modern heroes without capes. But of course the system has to be maintained and the quality of the water constantly checked.
The waterworks has four tasks. Its job is not just to pump water; the important processes include treating, storing and distributing drinking water using pressure pumps before we turn on the tap at home and drink the precious liquid, wash ourselves, cook with it and water our flowers. But where does the water come from? Of course, groundwater is tapped for this. The groundwater level starts at a depth of around 15 metres, but here in Weiler the pumps reach far below the level. The water is extracted from the rock from a depth of 38 metres. But don't worry, the level does not drop as a result. Since this was a concern in the past, special atomisation systems were installed at the same time, through which water from the Rhine is added to the groundwater elsewhere.
What happens to the water?
How exactly is the water treated so that we can drink it straight from our tap? To do this, we stand in front of large tanks filled with activated carbon in the waterworks. The water seeps through the carbon, which removes the pollutants from the water. The temperature in the hall is exactly 11 degrees Celsius. So unfortunately one degree too cold to brew delicious Kölsch here. A look into the waterworks' reservoirs is just as impressive as the tanks themselves, and in this weather you wish you had access to the reservoirs and could do a few laps in the crystal-clear, cool water.
The pumps that feed the water into our network then press it into the water supply pipe at a pressure of 5.2 bar. It usually arrives at our tap at 2-2.5 bar. Each drop has traveled for about a day. But our water is quite hard, is that bad? No, we don't have to worry about any effects when drinking it. The water quality in Germany is always such that we could normally drink the water for a lifetime without worrying about any health effects. But Raffaela does give us one piece of advice: just let the water run for a while! If it's really cold, then it's fine. Depending on the pipe, this can take a minute or two.
Tasting included - but only water!
Of course, she has a lot more to say, but you should listen to it for yourself. At the end, there is a little test. Can you tell raw water from pure water? Rheinenergie will even give you a stylishly printed water glass as a souvenir. The tour is free to all citizens in the RheinEnergie sector, and anyone interested can find out more about the tours of the waterworks or the district heating tunnel here !
And if you want to enjoy Cologne water at its best, then come with us on a lovely brewery tour! We look forward to seeing you!
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