The political division of Berlin after the Second World War led to the fragmentation of the city’s water supply and wastewater disposal infrastructure. Large parts of both the water supply and wastewater disposal systems had been severely damaged during the war and reconstruction took place under the conditions of the emerging Cold War and thus the division of Berlin into east and west. As the water supply and sewage systems are essential for the whole city, it was difficult to divide the infrastructure because it had been designed as an integrated system for the entire metropolitan area, taking into account parameters such as topography, gradients, and shared treatment facilities. Despite initial expectations on both sides that the division of the city would be temporary, the water and sewage infrastructure in East and West Berlin gradually became more and more separated. This posed significant technical and administrative challenges. Many compromises had to be reached between the two halves of the city with regard to technical adaptations, political negotiations and interim arrangements. Much of the infrastructure was never fully separated.
Historical background
Water supply in Berlin In the 19th century, Berlin experienced significant population growth. Initially, the city's infrastructure was unable to keep pace with this expansion. Epidemics such as cholera had a major impact on urban life at that time. Therefore, during the 19th century, more and more large cities devoted themselves to hygiene issues, such as water supply and sewage disposal. In Berlin, water supply and sewage disposal were initially considered together: an increased volume of water was intended to flush the gutters more effectively, thereby improving the drainage of sewage into the River Spree and its tributaries. The focus of considerations regarding water supply was therefore on urban sanitation. However, as no uniform approach could be agreed upon for a long time, a delegation from Berlin visited waterworks in England and subsequently decided to build a waterworks with the support of an English company. The foundation stone for Berlin's first waterworks was laid in 1853, and three years later it went into operation. It was a modern waterworks with steam-powered pumps and the first sand filter system on the European continent. The connection of private households to Berlin's water supply was a bumpy process, which is why many people preferred to use well water for a long time. Nevertheless, by 1864, almost 4,000 houses were connected to the waterworks supply. Until the establishment of ‘Greater Berlin’ in 1920, the water supply in the city was a patchwork quilt. With the incorporation of the surrounding towns, many smaller waterworks became the property of larger companies, gradually eliminating the patchwork quilt. One company that benefited particularly from this development was Charlottenburger Wasser- und Industriewerke AG.
Wastewater disposal in Berlin For a long time, the city could not agree on how to modernise the sewage system. Finally, in 1871, urban planner James Hobrecht put an end to years of discussion with his proposal for a sewerage system for Berlin. Hobrecht's ‘General Project for the Canalisation of Berlin’ ("Generelles Projekt für die Canalisation Berlins") essentially followed the idea of not designing a single sewerage system for the relatively flat city, but rather creating twelve drainage systems, also known as radial systems ("Radialsysteme"). The plan was for each system to run radially toward the lowest geographical point, where wastewater and rainwater would be collected together in pumping stations. In total, twelve pumping stations were planned. From there, the sewage was to be transported to the irrigation fields outside the city via pressure pipes.
Impact of WWII destruction
Water In total, the city recorded around 3,650 instances of damage to the pipe network and 27,000 destroyed house connection pipes. The post-war period initially brought the water supply to a previously unheard-of level of unity, as the 'Städtische Wasserwerke' (Municipal Water Works) and the 'Charlottenburger Wasser- und Industriewerke AG' (Charlottenburg Water and Industrial Works Ltd.) were merged in 1945. Before the end of the year, the city's 18 waterworks were operating under a single management. This marked the first time in the city's history that the water supply had been unified. After this agreement, a period of reconstruction began. Between 1946 and 1948, the waterworks gained an overview of the extent of the destruction and devoted themselves to rebuilding. This posed major challenges for the Berlin waterworks: every time rubble was cleared from Berlin, the pipes had to be secured, and the search for burst pipes continued due to ongoing water losses.
Wastewater The war, as well as the fascist racial laws, had caused the Berlin drainage services to lose a substantial portion of their skilled personnel. While some vacant administrative positions could be filled by women, work in the sewer system often required a high level of physical endurance. The sewage system was in significantly worse condition than the water supply. One of the main reasons for this was that the sewage pressure pipes often ran along bridges that had suffered severe damage during the war, especially in the final months. Of the numerous destroyed bridges, 128 also contained sewage pressure pipes. In addition, all of the city's drainage pumps were out of service. At least the lower-lying sewers had suffered far less damage. The pumping stations were out of service, so the sewage flowed back into Berlin's waterways via the emergency outlets. Due to the destruction of bridges, these waterways were often unable to carry the flow, which led to backwater and turned Berlin's waterways into sewers. Given the high priority accorded to rebuilding the infrastructure, 20 of the destroyed pumping stations were back in operation by the end of 1945. By spring 1946, the city's drainage system was finally fully functional again.
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