FiW at the 24th Cologne Sewer and Wastewater Treatment Plant Colloquium

On the first day of the conference, Dr.-Ing. Jutta Niederste-Hollenberg chaired the session "Decentralised Stormwater Management" in the Dreikönigssaal.  © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
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In the session "Wastewater Treatment" ("Abwasserreinigung"), Dr. Mark Braun presented his talk "Wastewater fees with a surcharge for heavy polluters: requirements for a fair, cause-based fee assessment."   © Martin Braun / FiW e. V.
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In the session "Climate Protection / Climate Adaptation," chaired by Heinz Brandenburg (StEB Köln), Jule Blankenstein reported on the approach and goals of the MoniKlär project.  © FiW e. V.
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In the session "Climate Protection / Climate Adaptation," Lukas Hammerschick (FiW), together with Helle Wischer (LINEG), presented the modelling of the Moers-Gerdt wastewater treatment plant in the context of KARL.  © FiW e. V.
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On 14 and 15 September 2026, the 24th Cologne Sewer and Wastewater Treatment Plant Colloquium (Kölner Kanal- und Kläranlagenkolloquium) took place at the Maternushaus in Cologne. FiW staff members gave three presentations on current work in municipal water management. Dr. Jutta Niederste-Hollenberg, Managing Director of FiW, also chaired the session on decentralised stormwater management. The conference brings together stakeholders from municipalities, water associations, engineering firms, and academia, offering a forum for professional exchange on municipal wastewater management.

In the session "Wastewater Treatment" ("Abwasserreinigung"), chaired by Dr. Ulf Schulze-Hennings (StEB Köln), Dr. Mark Braun presented his talk "Wastewater fees with a surcharge for heavy polluters: requirements for a fair, cause-based fee assessment." He showed how municipalities can align wastewater fees more closely with the actual pollutant load of dischargers, establishing greater cost fairness between households and heavily polluting dischargers.

In the session "Climate Protection / Climate Adaptation," chaired by Heinz Brandenburg (StEB Köln), Jule Blankenstein reported on the approach and goals of the MoniKlär project, which focuses on monitoring greenhouse gas emissions at wastewater treatment plants. In the same session, Lukas Hammerschick (FiW), together with Helle Wischer (LINEG), presented the modelling of the Moers-Gerdt wastewater treatment plant in the context of KARL and outlined approaches to improving energy efficiency.

On the first day of the conference, Dr.-Ing. Jutta Niederste-Hollenberg chaired the session "Decentralised Stormwater Management" in the Dreikönigssaal. Speakers there discussed testing methods for microplastic retention in decentralised stormwater treatment systems, among other topics, as well as new approaches to pollutant load modelling.

The colloquium is organised annually by the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Instituts für Siedlungswasserwirtschaft an der RWTH Aachen e.V. It is one of the key professional events for municipalities, water associations, and engineering firms in the field of municipal water management.