The long-running dispute over groundwater extraction in Germany’s Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park has entered a new phase after the regional water authority SGD Nord rejected an application by mineral water producers Hochwald Sprudel and Schwollener Sprudel to continue extracting water from six wells located within the protected area. According to the authority, the companies are no longer permitted to pump water from the site as of 28 April 2026.
The conflict has been brewing for years. Germany’s Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park was officially established in 2015 and today covers approximately 10,000 hectares of forests, moorlands and mountain landscapes. The water rights at the center of the dispute predate the park itself. The six extraction wells operated by Hochwald Sprudel and Schwollener Sprudel received their most recent permits shortly before the national park was created, allowing the companies to continue extracting groundwater after the protected area was established. Environmental groups have long argued that the extraction of groundwater from a protected ecosystem is incompatible with the park’s conservation objectives and could worsen drought stress affecting forests, wetlands and springs.
The dispute involves two companies that have been closely connected to the Hunsrück-Hochwald region for generations. Hochwald Sprudel traces its origins to a mineral water source discovered in 1899, while commercial operations were formally established by the Schupp family in 1953. Schwollener Sprudel dates back to 1929, when operations began at the Schwollener Sauerbrunnen spring. Since 1953, the company has operated from its current headquarters in Schwollen. Both businesses have become important regional employers and are among the best-known mineral water producers in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The latest decision stems from a permit renewal process launched by the companies in 2023. The renewal application was originally intended to be assessed through an environmental impact assessment (EIA) designed to determine whether continued groundwater extraction could adversely affect the national park’s ecosystems and water-dependent habitats. However, SGD Nord stated that the companies had not sufficiently cooperated in the environmental review process. According to the authority, the permit application was therefore rejected on 28 April 2026 due to incomplete application documents. As a result, the requested water permit was denied and the authority considers the extraction rights suspended.
The companies strongly dispute that interpretation. Through legal representatives, they argue that all required documentation was submitted and that the authority’s claims regarding missing cooperation are factually incorrect. They state that all required application documents had been submitted by March 2024 and maintain that the authority’s decision is not immediately enforceable and therefore does not automatically require the wells to be shut down.
Both companies have filed emergency applications with the Administrative Court of Koblenz. They are seeking permission to continue pumping water until a final judgment is reached in the main proceedings. The court has stated that it is currently unclear when a decision on the emergency motions will be issued.
For environmental campaigners, the authority’s decision marks a significant milestone. Critics of the water extraction point to declining spring flows and increasingly dry conditions within the national park, arguing that commercial use of groundwater should not take place in one of Germany’s most important protected landscapes. The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2025, is expected to meet the criteria for large-scale undisturbed natural development by 2030 and is regarded as one of Germany’s most significant conservation projects.
The controversy has gained additional attention because environmental groups argue that water extracted from the national park is ultimately sold far beyond the region, including in international markets. Conservationists contend that groundwater from one of Germany’s most protected natural areas should not become a commercial export product, while the companies maintain that their operations are sustainable and environmentally responsible.
The mineral water producers emphasize their long-term investments in the region and the employment they provide in a structurally weaker rural area. They continue to insist that available studies show no harmful impact on groundwater resources or water-dependent habitats. The companies also argue that they have invested substantially in their wells, production facilities and local workforce over many decades.
The case is being closely watched across Germany’s beverage sector because it could set an important precedent for water extraction rights in protected areas. Until the courts rule on the emergency applications, uncertainty remains over whether the companies will ultimately be forced to stop pumping water from the national park.
