Groundwater dispute settled as K+S and BUND strike waste management deal

A bitter legal battle over saltwater leaks ends with compromise. How stricter sealing measures won over environmentalists—and what it means for potash mining.

, and Administrator

2025 November 22 . 3:35 PM

1 min read

In this picture there is a small water harvest pit. Above we can see the brown color brick bridges.... — In this picture there is a small water harvest pit. Above we can see the brown color brick bridges. In the front bottom side there is a white pebbles and some grass.

Dispute over groundwater protection: K+S reaches agreement with BUND - Groundwater dispute settled as K+S and BUND strike waste management deal

A dispute over groundwater protection in Eastern Hesse has ended with an agreement between the mining company K+S and the environmental group BUND. The deal focuses on the expansion of a waste heap near Hattorf, where concerns about saltwater contamination had led to legal challenges. BUND has now withdrawn its emergency motion against the project’s approval.

The conflict centred on K+S’s plans to expand its waste rock pile at the Hattorf site. BUND had warned that without proper sealing, up to one million cubic metres of saline wastewater could leak into the groundwater. The group filed an emergency motion to block the expansion, arguing that existing safeguards were insufficient.

K+S responded by criticising the repeated use of legal challenges to delay regulatory approvals. The company maintained that current measures already minimised risks to groundwater. Despite this, both sides have now reached a settlement that includes stricter protective steps.

Under the agreement, K+S will seal parts of the waste pile with a barrier layer in newly developed areas. This move aims to prevent saltwater contamination linked to the third phase of expansion. The deal also provides K+S with planning certainty for its potash production operations in the region.

BUND’s withdrawal of its emergency motion clears the way for the expansion to proceed under the new conditions. No other environmental organisations are reported to have similar agreements with K+S on this issue.

The settlement ensures that K+S can move forward with its waste heap expansion while implementing additional safeguards. BUND’s concerns about groundwater contamination have been addressed through mandatory sealing measures. The outcome secures long-term production plans for K+S in Eastern Hesse.