Announcement pursuant to § 5 paragraph 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG) regarding the determination of the EIA obligation for a project of the Water Supply Cooperative (WVG) Schmitzhöhe eG; Im Kromsfeld 1b in 51789 Lindlar, for the re-approval of the groundwater extraction amount from several existing wells and a spring catchment for the public water supply of the WVG Schmitzhöhe supply area.

Announcement pursuant to § 5 (2) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG) regarding the determination of the EIA obligation for a project by the Schmitzhöhe Water Supply Cooperative (WVG) eG; Im Kromsfeld 1b in 51789 Lindlar, for the re-approval of the groundwater extraction volume from several existing wells and a spring for the public water supply of the WVG Schmitzhöhe supply area.

The WVG-Schmitzhöhe eG applied with application documents dated 15.05.2025, received by the health department of OBK on 20.05.2025, for the re-approval of the groundwater extraction volume of:

• 26 m³/h
• 624 m³/day
• 227,800 m³/year

The extracted groundwater has been used as drinking and utility water for public water supply by the WVG Schmitzhöhe eG for approximately 70 years.

According to § 9 (2) No. 2 UVPG, if a project is amended for which no environmental impact assessment has been carried out, the obligation to conduct an EIA applies to the amendment project if the amended project reaches or exceeds a threshold value specified in Annex 1 for the first time or again and a preliminary examination determines that the amendment may cause significant adverse environmental impacts.

In the present case, no environmental impact assessment has been carried out to date.

According to Annex 1, Section 13.3.2, a general preliminary examination to determine the EIA obligation is required for the extraction, lifting, or discharge of groundwater with an annual volume of water from 100,000 m³ to less than 10 million m³.

With a groundwater extraction volume of 227,800 m³/year, the threshold value specified in Section 13.3.2 is exceeded.

The general preliminary examination is conducted pursuant to § 9 (4) UVPG in conjunction with § 7 (1) UVPG as an overview examination taking into account the criteria listed in Annex 3.

The EIA obligation exists if the amendment project, as assessed by the competent authority, may have significant adverse environmental impacts that, according to § 25 (2) UVPG, would need to be considered in the approval decision.

In the application documents, it is comprehensibly demonstrated that the project is not expected to have significant adverse environmental impacts on the protected assets to be considered under the UVPG. This assessment is based on the following aspects in particular:

The groundwater extraction has been carried out for approximately 70 years through the existing wells and a spring located south of the Schmitzhöhe settlement near the local sports field, as well as a well located near the village of „Loxsteeg“ in the Sülz valley.

No new land or soil is being utilized. The area is located in a landscape conservation area defined in Landscape Plan No.2 „Lindlar/Engelskirchen.“

In the last five years, the water consumption in the WVG-Schmitzhöhe supply area averaged approximately 169,000 m³/year. This consumption is about a quarter less than the currently permitted groundwater extraction volume of 227,800 m³/year.

Neither the existing landscape conservation area nor the landscape or the Lindlar Sülz have been significantly adversely affected to date.

The impacts on the geographic area are locally limited. Residential buildings are sufficiently distant.

The groundwater extraction is carried out for the drinking and utility water supply of the Lindlar-Schmitzhöhe area as a public water supply.

No other significant adverse environmental impacts on the protected assets to be considered have become known during the approximately 70-year existence of the facility.

The general preliminary examination of the individual case has determined that significant adverse environmental impacts of the aforementioned project are not to be expected, considering the criteria listed in Annex 3.

According to § 5 (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 challengeable pursuant to § 5 (3) UVPG.

The information to the public required pursuant to § 5 (2) sentence 1 UVPG is provided with this announcement.

Gummersbach, 18.02.2026

Oberbergischer Kreis
The District Administrator
Environmental Office
On behalf
signed
Budig