The RAG-Stiftung is responsible for financing the perpetual obligations of the German coal mining industry and, to this end, continuously expands its assets. In addition, the RAG-Stiftung funds projects in the fields of education, science and culture in the former mining regions along the Ruhr and Saar rivers as well as in Ibbenbüren.
Following the end of hard coal mining, there are three tasks that must be carried out over an unlimited period of time, and all three have to do with the management and control of water. The RAG-Stiftung is responsible for financing them.
Pit water management
In the former mine workings, many hundreds of meters below ground, the water level continuously rises due to the influx and seepage of rainwater and surface water. To prevent the pit water, which contains salts and iron, from coming into contact with our drinking water, it is collected at central points and pumped away. RAG Aktiengesellschaft performs this task on behalf of the RAG-Stiftung. Continuous optimisation and further refining of the pit water concept ensures that this process is as energy-efficient, climate-friendly and cost-conscious as possible.
Polder measures
200 years of industrial hard coal mining history have changed the topography of the land. Entire areas have subsided, in extreme cases by as much as 25 metres. In order to protect such depressions against flooding, the way in which the surface water is drained off must be permanently regulated at the locations in question. This is ensured by pumping stations, by deepening water bodies, or through dyke measures: from planning, through implementation and ongoing operation, to constant maintenance.
Groundwater purification
Comprehensive remediation of the areas around some former coking plants is required to prevent pollutants from seeping into the drinking water. That includes reliably identifying potential and actual risks, eliminating them through appropriate measures and regularly reviewing their effectiveness. Where contamination occurs, the water flows in question are intercepted and purified.