Announcement pursuant to § 5 para. 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG) regarding the determination of the EIA requirement for a project of the company Günter Jaeger Steinbruchbetriebe GmbH, Lüsberger Str. 2, 51580 Reichshof, to increase the groundwater extraction quantity in the context of the expansion and deepening of the quarry in Reichshof, Elbachstr. 11.

Announcement under § 5 para. 2 of the Act on Environmental Impact Assessment (UVPG) regarding the determination of the EIA requirement for a project by Fa. Günter Jaeger Steinbruchbetriebe GmbH, Lüsberger Str. 2, 51580 Reichshof to increase the groundwater extraction volume as part of the expansion and deepening of the quarry in Reichshof, Elbachstr. 11.

Fa. Günter Jaeger Steinbruchbetriebe GmbH, Lüsberger Str. 2, 51580 Reichshof, applied on May 27, 2025, with application documents for the amendment of the annual extraction volumes for sump water to be pumped from the South pit in connection with the quarry operation at Elbachstr. 11, 51580 Reichshof. The sump water consists of groundwater, layer water, and precipitation water.

The following amounts are to be pumped:

- 54 m³/h
- 1,296 m³/d
- up to 462,000 m³/a.
For the assessment under the UVPG, the groundwater share is decisive. According to the application documents, this amounts to 20%, or 92,400 m³/a.

If a project is amended under § 9 para. 2 no. 2 UVPG, for which no environmental impact assessment has been carried out, the amended project is subject to the EIA requirement if the amended project first or again reaches or exceeds a screening value specified in Annex 1 and a preliminary examination indicates that the amendment may cause significant adverse environmental impacts.

In the present case, no environmental impact assessment has been carried out for the groundwater extraction so far.

According to number 13.3.3 of Annex 1 to the UVPG, a site-specific preliminary examination is required for the extraction, production, or discharge of groundwater with an annual volume of 5000 m³ to less than 100,000 m³, if significant adverse impacts on groundwater-dependent ecosystems are to be expected due to the water use.

With a groundwater share of 92,400 m³/a, the aforementioned screening value is exceeded.

Due to the location in the water protection area, the site-specific preliminary examination was carried out.

Under § 9 para. 4 UVPG in conjunction with § 7 para. 2 UVPG, the site-specific preliminary examination is conducted as an overview examination in two stages. In the first stage, the competent authority examines whether special local conditions exist according to the protection criteria listed in Annex 3 no. 2.3. If the examination in stage 1 shows that no special local conditions exist, there is no EIA requirement. If the examination in stage 1 shows that special local conditions exist, the authority examines in stage 2, considering the criteria listed in Annex 3, whether the amendment may have significant adverse environmental impacts affecting the special sensitivity or protection objectives of the area and should be considered under § 25 para. 2 in the permit decision. The EIA requirement exists if the amendment may have such environmental impacts according to the assessment of the competent authority.

In the present case, the examination in stage 1 revealed that special local conditions exist according to the protection criteria listed in Annex 3 no. 2.3.

The quarry site from which the groundwater is extracted is located in the drinking water protection area of the Wiehltalsperre. Additionally, a nature reserve with two standing waters (legally protected biotopes) borders the quarry site to the northwest. Near the quarry, the source area of the Ulbertbach and downstream a legally protected biotope are located. Furthermore, the quarry is within the landscape protection area "Reichshof-Süd." A protected landscape feature borders the quarry to the southeast.

Moreover, a ground monument is located within the quarry.

The examination in stage 2 revealed that the application documents, in conjunction with the documents for the planned water development (approval procedure), comprehensibly demonstrate that the increase in the annual groundwater extraction volume does not cause significant adverse environmental impacts affecting the special sensitivity or protection objectives of the area and should be considered under § 25 para. 2 in the permit decision.

This assessment is based on the following aspects in particular:

The impacts of groundwater extraction were already examined as part of the environmental impact assessment of the concurrently conducted approval procedure for the planned water development following the expansion and deepening of the operated quarry. In particular, the hydrogeological report prepared within the approval procedure (Annex 2 of the approval documents) demonstrates that no significant adverse environmental impacts occur for the aforementioned special local conditions.

A stable watershed towards the Wiehltalsperre remains during the extraction phase. The standing waters in the nature reserve have no groundwater connection.

The hydrogeological report demonstrates that the source area of the Ulbertbach and the downstream biotope are not affected.

The largest lowering amounts occur for the surrounding heights of the quarry, where there is already a large unsaturated zone.

Without the sump measures, raw material extraction is not possible.

No other significant adverse environmental impacts of groundwater extraction on considered protected assets are apparent.

The site-specific preliminary examination of the individual case in stage 2 has shown that the amendment does not expect significant adverse environmental impacts affecting the special sensitivity or protection objectives of the area and should be considered under § 25 para. 2 in the permit decision.

Under § 5 para. 1 UVPG, it is therefore determined that there is no obligation to conduct an environmental impact assessment for the proposed project.

The determination is not independently contestable under § 5 para. 3 UVPG.

The required public information under § 5 para. 2 sentence 1 UVPG is provided with this announcement.

Gummersbach, February 18, 2026
Oberbergischer Kreis
On behalf
Signed Bremer
Environmental Office of the Oberbergischer Kreis