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From a stinking wastewater disposal field toward a recreation area—the story of an unconventional soil remediation in Berlin, Germany

  • SUITMA 8: Soils and Sediments in Urban and Mining Areas
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Wastewater irrigation is still a common practice in many cities worldwide. After ending the wastewater irrigation, the question arises as to how the highly polluted areas can be reused. Mostly, the remediation costs for liming or adding synthetic soil conditioners are too high for decision makers, often leading to unattractive wastelands in neighboring suburbs. This story shows how part of a former wastewater disposal field in Berlin (Germany) was remediated by adding and mixing loam-rich glacial until excavated from subway construction work. The remediation led to long-term improvements of soil and landscape, which nowadays is an attractive forested recreation area. Part of this landscape is used as an ecological lab for research, art, and education.

Materials and methods

The article summarizes the results of soil analysis of the contamination status and remediation technique over the last 2 decades. We collected and reevaluated historical data, research results, technical reports, and graphic materials concerning the wastewater disposal field in Berlin, Germany.

Results and discussion

The remediation concept without adding any synthetic substances was a successful soft technology leading to (i) a reduction of the long-term groundwater risk, (ii) an immobilization of the trace element concentration in the soil solution, and (iii) a reduction of the metal uptake by plants. Remediation led to much better conditions for plant growth, soil fauna, and microbiological activity, which improved the environment in a sustainable way. The implementation of a new landscape concept combining ecology, culture, and art totally changed the character of the landscape from former stinking wastewater fields to present-day attractive sites that can be used for many purposes.

Conclusions

The remediation of the former wastewater disposal fields, using natural glacial till materials rich in clay and silt, became a “story of success.” However, a remediation project of this type and scope only becomes reality if all responsible actors in society participate continuously. We conclude that stakeholders should not focus only on remediation costs but also on the benefits for society: reclaiming waste sites significantly improves our well-being.

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Acknowledgements

We give thanks to all the people who were engaged in this unconventional remediation project, especially to Prof. Dr. R. Metz and Prof. Dr. M. Renger for their long-term scientific input and responsibility. We are also grateful to all former PhD students listed in Table 11. Thanks to their curiosity and hard work, many new scientific topics were identified. Many thanks go to the former master students for their scientific interest, lab, and fieldwork. We also give Detlef Schwarz our thanks for supplying us with photos. We are also grateful to the many forest workers who made this landscape change possible by their hard work over many years. Last but not least, we are thankful to the reviewers for their help, comments, and suggestions improving the manuscript.

This research was only possible with the financial support of German Research foundation (DFG), European Commission, Umweltbundesamt, BMBF, and the Senat of Berlin (SenStadtUm).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Soil Conservation, Technische Universität Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Gerd Wessolek, Björn Kluge, Steffen Trinks & Michael Facklam

  2. Berliner Forsten, Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Württembergische Straße 6, 10707, Berlin, Germany

    Olaf Zeuschner

Authors
  1. Gerd Wessolek
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  2. Björn Kluge
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  3. Steffen Trinks
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  4. Michael Facklam
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  5. Olaf Zeuschner
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Correspondence to Gerd Wessolek.

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Responsible editor: Maxine Levin

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Wessolek, G., Kluge, B., Trinks, S. et al. From a stinking wastewater disposal field toward a recreation area—the story of an unconventional soil remediation in Berlin, Germany. J Soils Sediments 18, 481–493 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1609-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1609-9

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