Jena Drinking Water Day 2024

On November 25, 2024, the Jena Drinking Water Day took place at the Hotel Fair Resort in Jena, bringing together health authorities from all over Thuringia and national experts in drinking water hygiene. The event provided a platform for discussing current challenges and developments in drinking water hygiene.

Kathleen Lützkendorf, Head of the Department of Social Affairs, Health, Immigration and Climate of the City of Jena, acknowledged the historical significance of Jena for the definition of drinking water standards over 100 years ago. She emphasized the importance of such events for the promotion of preventive measures to protect public health.

Presentations and discussions

The event included a series of specialist presentations on critical issues relating to drinking water installations and their monitoring. Key topics included:

• Legal situation of health authorities during inspections
• Assessment of drinking water germs such as legionella and pseudomonads
• Risk assessments in drinking water installations, particularly in the healthcare sector and in nurseries

During the presentations and the subsequent discussions, the indispensable expertise of the health authorities was clearly emphasized. It was shown that over two thirds of drinking water problems in public buildings are due to errors in construction planning. This underlines the need to involve drinking water experts from the health authorities as early as the planning phase. By consulting them at an early stage, cost-intensive reworking can be avoided and drinking water quality can be ensured from the outset. The health authorities are thus positioning themselves as valuable partners and proactive service providers in the field of drinking water hygiene, going far beyond their traditional role as inspection authorities.

Thanks to the supporters

Special thanks go to the German Association of Qualified Experts for Drinking Water Hygiene and the Federal Association of Hygiene Inspectors for their significant contributions to the event as well as all other speakers.