53
Project
Type
Brief description
Costs
[billion
USD]
Timeline
(Environmental)
Impacts
References
Emscher River
Master Plan
Restoration
A 30-year regional regeneration
program involves water quality
improvements and physical
rehabilitation of the river
network
4.4
Restoration start
in 1991
Once an open sewer
in one of the most
populated areas in
Europe, the
catchment of the
Emscher River is
one of the most
ambitious
restoration projects
actually carried out
in Germany
Schwarze‐Rodrian and
Bauer ( 2005 )
Germany
Restoration and
remediation of
coal mining
areas
Restoration
Avoidance and source treatment,
natural attenuation of acidity
loads, remediation in constructed
wetlands and underground
treatment, in-lake and outfl ow
treatments
9 (during
the past
20 years)
Restoration of
coal mining
areas
The restoration of
open-cast mining
areas in Germany, as
well as in Poland
and other countries,
is a long-lasting task
because the large
areas affected, delay
effects, and the
challenge to
combine geoengineering with
ecological
engineering
approaches.
Formation of novel
ecosystems and
communities.
Geller et al. ( 2013 )
Germany
4 A Global View on Future Major Water Engineering Projects