The EAGruMo project aims to investigate the potential of the Ernst-August-Stollen in the Harz Mountains as an underground water reservoir and to develop an integrated modelling system for its sustainable use. With its six dams and four waterworks, the Harz region plays a central role in northern Germany's water supply, supplying drinking water to around two million people and numerous industrial plants from the Harz to Bremen every day.
The Ernst-August-Stollen, built in the 19th century for mine drainage, still requires costly maintenance. This important underground infrastructure offers promising potential for water storage, particularly in light of the increasing challenges posed by climate change, such as heavy rainfall events and prolonged droughts.
A key component of the project is the development of an integrated modelling methodology that links the hydrological and hydrogeological systems at the surface of the Ernst-August-Stollen. Extensive investigations will be carried out in close cooperation with project partners TU Clausthal and Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. Hydrogeological tracer studies are investigating water pathways in the fractured rock. Numerical simulations of the coupled hydrological-hydrogeological system under changing climatic conditions will support the analysis and development of possible operational scenarios.
The research makes a significant contribution to the national water strategy and is particularly relevant for the security of supply in Lower Saxony. The developed methods and results should be transferable to other post-mining landscapes in Germany and support the development of sustainable water management strategies in the context of climate change. The project thus provides a scientific basis for the future-oriented management of post-mining landscapes, taking into account water management, ecological and heritage aspects.
Find out more about the EAGruMo joint project at: https://www.eagrumo.tu-clausthal.de/verbundprojekt
Niedersächsische Investitions- und Förderbank (NBank)
Europäischer Fonds für regionale Entwicklung (EFRE)
Land Niedersachsen
Duration: Oktober 2024 bis September 2027
Technische Universität Clausthal
Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften
Harzwasserwerke GmbH
Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie
Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege
Fraunhofer-Institut für Physikalische Messtechnik