Rusteberg Water Consulting

Welcome to the website of the German consulting company Rusteberg Water Consulting. In recent years, RWC has been intensively involved in the development of strategies, measures and projects under water scarcity as well as the analysis and solution of growth- and climate change-related conflicts. RWC is committed to implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A central task is the adaptation to climate change within the framework of Integrated Water Resources Management, taking into account both conventional and non-conventional water resources, whereby the integration of innovative water technologies for seawater desalination and wastewater reuse with the use of renewable energies is increasingly important. RWC offers consulting services and studies on the water scarcity challenge in the following areas, among others: Water resources inventory, conflict potential and bottelneck risk assessment, project evaluation and strategy development, IWRM implementation and regional water resources planning, climate change adaptation, irrigated agriculture, desalination and water transfer through pipelines, integrated management of surface water and groundwater resources, and decision support systems. For more details on the services offered, please refer to the following pages. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Rusteberg, Director of the company, also supports the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations as well as the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) as International Water Consultant.

Many regions of the world are exposed to a considerable potential for conflict due to the rapidly increasing demand for water in all water sectors, water pollution and the increasing influence of climate change. In many places, a dramatic reduction in water availability and an increase in droughts can already be observed, affecting all water sectors. Sustainable measures and response strategies can only be developed within the framework of an Integrated Water Resources Management. The high and constantly increasing demand for water in irrigated agriculture often leads to conflicts in water use, so that this water sector in particular requires critical analysis and appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures.

With the help of integral approaches, decision alternatives can be evaluated and compared with each other, and risks and potential conflicts can be identified at the planning stage and, if necessary, minimized or avoided by taking appropriate measures. The procedures also create transparency and thus contribute to acceptance of the project results. RWC has extensive experience in the implementation of participatory planning and decision-making processes as part of IWRM implementation and the development of GIS-based information and expert systems.

Irrigated agriculture in Germany is also confronted with numerous challenges, including the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, water protection and nitrate inputs. Increasing periods of drought also represent an enormous potential for conflict, which must be countered with appropriate measures in order to make agricultural production sustainable and increase it further.

Water accounting and management studies on water availability and conflict potential are also of great importance with regard to the sustainable production of green hydrogen. This applies not only to potential hydrogen imports from arid regions such as NO-Brazil, North Africa and the Middle East with great potential for generating renewable energies, which are affected by extreme water scarcity and are already affected by conflicts in water use, but also specifically to production sites in Germany. As can be seen in the case of the TESLA factory in Brandenburg, water shortages during dry periods in summer can no longer be ruled out. Extreme weather conditions are expected to increase as a result of climate change. In many places, water scarcity is already leading to overuse of groundwater resources. This makes integrated water resources planning and risk assessment of alternative strategies and projects necessary, not least because the water requirements for the production of green hydrogen are considerable and, in principle, different water resources can be used. The production sites must therefore be chosen carefully.

The company has considerable international experience and has worked with more than 50 partners since its foundation. Further information on the company, services, projects and partners can be found on the following pages.