Orla and Kotschau water pollution during industrialization

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This article describes the water pollution of the Orla and Kotschau during the industrialization (historical).

Historical classification

initial situation

In the pre-industrial times, as in most areas of today's Germany, extensive agriculture and forestry were characteristic in the Orla and Kotschau catchment area for centuries . Environmental pollution was low, only a result of soil leaching and erosion, as well as sewage from stables and households (faeces), but the latter posed a hygienic problem, especially in larger cities, which did not exist in the catchment area of ​​the two rivers.

Start of industrialization in the Orlasenke

Already at the end of the 18th century there was reports of a lively cloth production, which was already making use of technical progress. In 1853 there were 214 master clothiers working in Pößneck . Industrialization began in Germany in the first third of the 19th century and then spread rapidly. Factories initially emerged from the roots of the existing manufactories . In Triptis , Neustadt (Orla) and, above all, Pößneck, these were the tannery and leather processing, the production of yarn and textiles, the porcelain production and printing.

An essential prerequisite for the flourishing of the industry was the development of the railway locations. All businesses needed coal and water because steam from steam engines was used as the driving force . The water was therefore of outstanding importance. Even though the first factory opened in Pößneck in 1865, the actual, sudden transition to factory work was only possible with the railroad . In 1871 the places in the area of ​​Kotschau and Orla were reached by rail .

Use of water in early industrialization

Many branches of the economy require water for their production processes, and wastewater was also generated . Initially, the water from the two rivers Orla and Kotschau was used, partly channeled into the farms, and partly the course of the river itself was used. In doing so, they quickly reached their limits and relocated to wells some 60 m deep, and later even over 100 m deep. Water reserves in the area were also tapped to a considerable extent. The hygienic problems of contaminated water were basically known to science (see, inter alia, Wikipedia article on hygiene in medicine ), but there was still no in-depth awareness of them, neither in politics, business, nor in the population. Soiling was perceived as problematic when it had immediate effects. When water was no longer potable, immediately caused disease or stank, when animals in agriculture became sick from water or from eating plants irrigated with polluted water, there were complaints through the administrative channels (mayor, state) in the case of Orla and Kotschau reached the imperial administration.

Report on Orla and Kotschau from 1908

Since 1883 the Pößneck magistrate observed the accumulation of typhus cases in the city and in Langenorla . As early as 1897, the Imperial Health Department had made an inspection due to the pollution of the Kotschau (spelling at the time: Kötschau). With the report published in 1908, the Reich Health Council dealt with the pollution of Orla and Kotschau by commercial wastewater. Two aspects are remarkable:

Firstly, the preparation of the report as such, which suggests an unusually high level of water pollution with considerable consequences for the residents. Secondly, the facts contained therein, which specify the water pollution and at the same time provide precise insights into the industrial history. This is significant because from the Second World War to the final phase of the GDR, investments in environmentally friendly technologies were largely not made and the quality of the wastewater remained unchanged almost 100 years after the report. Rather, a deterioration can even be assumed, since the development of the chemical industry has made new products available to other branches of the economy, which in turn represent new problematic substances for water bodies and health (for example detergents or pesticides, but also lead water pipes).

Graphic representation of the Orla and Kotschau waters and the wastewater problem in 1904
Graphic representation of the Orla and Kotschau waters and the wastewater problem in 1904

The report itself provides results from three inspections (June, September 1904 and 1907) of the Orla from Neustadt (Orla) to Orlamünde as well as the Kotschau in the Pößneck urban area, the visit to numerous factories (see table) and the extraction and analysis of water and Mud samples. In addition - comparatively - the Saale in Schwarza (at that time independent) and Rudolstadt were visited.

Investigated establishments

  • All information comes from the report from 1908 or was calculated from it. Unless wastewater quantities were specified, the approximate figures used were 0.9 m³ per hide in leather factories (assumption: fresh water quantity = wastewater quantity). The actual amount of wastewater could have been higher or lower. The total water consumption was stated in the report for Pößneck as 6660 m³ - 10,000 m³ per day, i.e. between 2.5 million m³ and 3.6 million m³ per year.
  • The condensation water mentioned several times occurs when steam engines are operated
Table: Establishments examined in June 1904 for the 1908 report
place factory production Amount of wastewater per year Pollutants
Triptis Kötschau & Limpert brewery k. A. No
Triptis Fritzsche, Röthel Glue boilers k. A., wastewater spent on meadows organic S., lime broth (irritating), sulphurous acid (corrosive)
Triptis Oelsner Tannery and leather dyeing 1500 m³ organic S., u. a. Pigeon droppings , dog droppings (transmission of pathogens), lime broth (irritating), sodium sulphide (toxic, corrosive, dangerous for the environment), iron vitriol (harmful to health)
Neustadt (Orla) Kolesch Cloth factory k. A. Alizarin as tar color or aniline color (harmful to health)
Neustadt (Orla) GF Fritzsche, Koenitzer, Müller-Albert Cloth mills additional approx. 72,000 m³ Alizarin (harmful), potassium chromate (toxic, dangerous for the environment), sodium sulfide (toxic, corrosive, dangerous for the environment)
Neustadt (Orla) Zenker Cloth factory approx. 150,000 m³ Salmiak (harmful to health)
Neustadt (Orla) Kuenzel Cloth factory approx. 60,000 m³ Salmiak (harmful to health)

Alizarin (harmful), potassium dichromate (very toxic, dangerous for the environment, oxidizing), acetic acid (corrosive)

Neustadt (Orla) Thuringian export beer brewery brewery k. A. k. A.
Neustadt (Orla) Thuringian gas company Gas company k. A. Ammonia water is resold
Neustadt (Orla) Adolf Seelemann and Sons Scratch Factory k. A., just condensation no
Neustadt (Orla) Gebr. Erhardt Leather factory 13,500 m³ Ash (mentioned here because of suspended matter), pigeon dung (transmission of pathogens), tan (liver-damaging)
Neustadt (Orla) Richard Kraner's sons, Reinhold Wild, Max Schneider Leather factories 11,000 m³ k. A.
Neustadt (Orla) Friedrich Schneider, Alfred Kramer Leather factories 9,000 m³ (only Schneider) Naphthalene (harmful to health, dangerous for the environment), chlorinated lime (oxidizing, corrosive, dangerous for the environment), milk of lime (irritating), pigeon dung, tan (harmful to the liver)
Neustadt (Orla) Arno Lange Leather factory 30,000 m³ Pigeon droppings (transmission of pathogens), tan (harmful to the liver), table salt denatured with petroleum (harmful to health, dangerous for the environment)
Poessneck Thalmannsche Tuchfabrik, Siegel und Schütze (external link: Siegel und Schütze - History) Cloth mills 600,000 m³ Alizarin (harmful to health), other aniline colors, stains (not specified, possible potassium dichromate)
Poessneck Fischer and Albert, Brüderlein patent leather factory (external link: Brüderlein - history) Leather factories 18,000 m³ (only little brothers) k. A.
Poessneck Richard Wagner Rose Brewery brewery 180,000 m³, only flushing water without significant contamination
Poessneck Berger Chocolate factory 150,000 m³ of condensation water no “really dirty” wastewater
Poessneck FG Rostner Flannel and cloth factory k. A. strong mud deposits, otherwise k. A.
Poessneck Fischer and Seige (external link: Fischer and Seige - history) Flannel and cloth factory 75,000 m³ k. A.
Poessneck Diesel and Weiser, Gebr. Schmeißer, R. Weithase & Co., Scheller Tanneries and leather factories 13,500 m³ (only Diesel and Weiser) Tran (organic fat), potassium dichromate (very toxic, dangerous for the environment, oxidizing)

Clean water

In the report there is no definition of clean water or water whose condition appeared acceptable in 1908. Conversely, however, u. a. the following required characteristics are assumed:

  • No cloudiness
  • No mud
  • No unpleasant smell
  • No occurrence of bacteria overgrowth on stones ("sewage fungus")
  • Occurrence of fish
  • Occurrence of diatoms

Observed state of the water

Table: Results of the inspections and analyzes of the Orla and Kotschau water in 1904
Waters place date Optical impression odor Measured values ​​(selection) in water or sludge
Kotschau Pößneck, gas works 09/04/1904 Gray, bubble-covered, muddy k. A. 0.7 mg / liter

arsenic

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1.5% fat

Kotschau / Orla Köstiz 09/04/1904 Cloudy, gray-blue k. A. arsenic

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Traces of fat

Orla Between Schweinitz and Kleindembach 06/30/1904 Very dirty No unpleasant odor to a significant extent No measurement
Orla Kleindembach 09/03/1904 Very dirty Very uncomfortable 35 mg chlorine

Hydrogen sulfide "abundant amounts"

Ammonia "copious amounts"

Orla Between Kleindembach and Langenorla 06/30/1904 Dirty, gray-blue, gas bubbles unpleasant No measurement
Orla Outdoor orla 06/30/1904 very dirty After drawing a weir: very uncomfortable due to rotting mud No measurement
Orla Outdoor orla 09/03/1904 heavily soiled, after drawing a weir: dense mass of sludge, vigorous gas development Very uncomfortable 4.3 mg oxygen

Hydrogen sulfide "abundant amounts"

Orla Orlamünde 06/30/1904 Dirty and cloudy, after confluence with the Saale, the Orla water can be seen as a dark stripe. No No measurement
Orla Orlamünde 09/03/1904 Strong gas development Very uncomfortable 1.5 mg oxygen / liter

48 mg chlorine / liter

Ammonia "copious amounts"

Hydrogen sulphide "small amounts"

5% fat in the dried mud

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Orla Rehmen 07/01/1904 Gloomy and dirty After drawing a weir: very uncomfortable No measurement
Orla Before Neustadt (Orla) 07/01/1904 Considerable pollution Odor nuisance No measurement
Orla Neustadt (Orla), Gerberstrasse 09/09/1904 Gray-green and cloudy Strong smell of herring brine No oxygen

Ammonia ("not inconsiderable amounts")

Saale Grosseutersdorf 09/03/1904 k. A. No 3.7 mg oxygen

16 mg chlorine

Ammonia (traces)

Saale Schwarza (weir below the paper mill , right bank) 09/06/1904 and 09/07/1904 Pink, gray, black colored fungal lawns on wooden parts (weirs), flat ("fleece") fungus growths ( Fusarium - forms strong poisons), Sphaerotilus natans - bacteria, also known as " sewage fungus ", form fur-like structures, Oscillatoria "swinging algae" - cyanobacteria that form strong toxins as well as oxygen Sweet (wastewater from the paper mill) 0.7 mg oxygen

56 mg sulfuric acid / liter

other measurement:

Saale Under hazel 07.09.1904 Brown, transparent, flakes and threads of fungus in the water, stones covered with villi k. A. arsenic

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1% fat

Health Consequences of Water Pollution

The occurrence of two infectious diseases was already associated with contaminated Orla water and related groundwater before the report, if not with certainty, then with a high degree of probability.

  • Typhus (typhus) as a disease that is mostly due to hygienic deficiencies. Excursus: In Jena, only a few kilometers away, there was an outbreak of typhus in 1980.

In addition, a large number of illnesses or premature deaths were likely to have resulted from contact with contaminated water or from drinking such water, at least as a late consequence. Contaminated food, both vegetable and animal, containing the same pollutants as water, was added. The report does not go into this. From today's perspective, it must be taken into account that the relationships were only recognized over time and that both diagnostic and measurement methods first had to be developed.

The report did not take into account the effects of typical air pollutants soot , smoke , sulfur dioxide , carbon monoxide and the like. a. (see Wikipedia article on smog ), which, in addition to the immediate effects, when dissolved in water, also pose health risks. It can be assumed that there was still a lack of awareness of the problem.

As a possible solution, the experts warned the creation of a sewer system without a direct outlet into the two bodies of water and the achievement of a central wastewater treatment plant, although there was already talk of a biological clarification stage (analogously). The aim was to retain the solid components from the wastewater, to avoid sludge formation and rot and to carry out filtration (through sand). In addition, a general improvement in hygienic conditions was considered to be absolutely necessary. Also, drinking water from wells near both bodies of water should not be used. However, all of this only happened very slowly, sometimes decades later.

Conclusion

The high concentration of manufacturing companies in Neustadt (Orla) and Pößneck made the cities grow in importance and size, ensured work and livelihoods for the population and the prosperity of the factory owners. The economic power was bought - not only here - but at the price of high health problems. At first, many connections were still unknown, but the causalities of pollution and the occurrence of diseases, which were already verifiable at the turn of the last century, did not consistently lead to measures that would have reduced the environmental damage again.

Orla near Neunhofen in June 2016
Orla near Neunhofen in June 2016
Kotschau in the urban area of ​​Pößneck in 2016
Kotschau in the urban area of ​​Pößneck in 2016

The situation only gradually eased, mainly due to the improvement in hygiene - connection of households and businesses to the water supply instead of well water (available in Pößneck since 1896), the introduction of flush toilets and the commissioning of a sewage treatment plant in Pößneck in 1931, which was the status quo at the time corresponded to the technology. However, the water supply and connection to the sewer system was slow. Recent German history prevented extensive investments in environmental protection. During the Nazi era , the focus was exclusively on armaments , after which there were permanent bottlenecks, initially due to war destruction and reparations , and later due to a shortage economy . Only with the end of the GDR and the sudden decline of traditional industries in Neustadt (Orla) and Pößneck, the availability of investment funds and a changed environmental awareness , did a situation arise for the first time in almost 150 years that improved environmental and health conditions could be. In addition to a reduction in pollutant input, remediation of contaminated sites, an expansion of the sewer system and new sewage treatment plants in 1998 in Neustadt (Orla) and 1997 in Pößneck, the Orla and Kotschau waters were at least partially renatured. The Kotschau, which was covered over long distances in Pößneck, was exposed during the State Garden Show in 2000 and received a new (unpolluted) stream bed. Expansion of the Kotschau and Orla canals were removed and a natural river course was partially modeled. Today, both bodies of water are in the state they were in before the onset of industrialization.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Alexander Blöthner: Legendary walks in the Saale-Orla district . Tannhäuser, Plothen 2016, p. 222 .
  2. ^ Website of the town of Pößneck, section town history. City of Pößneck (Thuringia), accessed on June 30, 2016 .
  3. ^ Dieter Seiffert: The Orlabahn . Kenning, Nordhorn 1996, p. 4 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i (imperial) Reich Health Council: Approval of the Reich Health Council, regarding the pollution of the Orla and Kötschau by commercial wastewater . In: Work from the Imperial Health Office . XXVIII, issue 2. Julius Springer, Berlin 1908, ISBN 978-3-642-89426-8 .
  5. ^ Official journal of the administrative community Oppurg on the fountain of the rose brewery. April 2008, p. 18 , accessed June 30, 2016 .
  6. ↑ “The situation is adventurous” in: DER SPIEGEL. 1991, accessed June 30, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Ostthüringer Zeitung on the commissioning date of the old Pößneck sewage treatment plant
  8. ^ Section "Environmental Policy" in the Wikipedia article on the GDR
  9. ↑ Website of the Orla association on the commissioning date of the new sewage treatment plants