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Battery production is growing rapidly. This is also leading to an increase in the extraction, processing and discharge of lithium in Europe, including in the Rhine River basin. This poses a growing risk to water quality and drinking water supplies in the Netherlands.

That is why RIWA-Rijn, on behalf of the Dutch drinking water companies that are dependent on the Rhine has sent a letter to the European Commission. Their appeal: establish a European environmental quality standard for lithium in surface water. Although the RIVM (The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) already set an indicative environmental risk limit of 11 µg/L for freshwater organisms in 2023, there is no environmental quality standard for lithium—unlike for zinc, copper or chromium. The latest annual report from RIWA-Rijn shows that the lithium concentration at Lobith is already around 13 µg/L.

Lithium: expected increase due to industrial developments

By 2028, 200,000 tonnes of lithium salts are expected to be extracted, processed and recycled in the Rhine River basin. The planned recycling plant in Dormagen (from 2026) alone could increase the lithium concentration at Lobith by 8 µg/L.

Water quality under pressure

The RIWA-Rijn annual report for 2024 shows that many substances in the Rhine exceed target values, hinders the use of natural and simple purification methods for drinking water production. The annual report shows that the pollution from urban wastewater, including medicine residues, continues to increase. This is at odds with the 30% reduction target of the 2040 Rhine Action Programme. Director Gerard Stroomberg states that a rapid implementation of a fourth treatment stage at sewage plants is urgently needed.

Prevention is key

RIWA-Rijn remains committed to international cooperation and clear enforcement of standards. After all, what does not enter the Rhine upstream, does not need to be removed downstream. A European environmental quality standard for lithium is therefore essential.

Download the annual report (in Dutch)

Read the press release

European River Memorandum (ERM)

Thematic report on purification

ICBR report on the 30% reduction target

On 11 July, the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) celebrates its 75th anniversary. Since 1950, countries along the Rhine have been working together across borders to improve and safeguard the water quality, ecology and safety of the river. RIWA-Rijn warmly congratulates the ICPR on this milestone.

The founding of the ICPR was a crucial step towards protecting the Rhine as a vital artery of Europe. The cooperation between Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands has led to robust agreements on water quality, pollution control and ecological restoration. Much progress has been made since then: the water quality has improved significantly and iconic species such as the salmon have returned to the river.

Close ties between ICPR and RIWA-Rijn

For RIWA-Rijn, this anniversary also marks a moment of reflection. One year after the ICPR was founded—in 1951—four Dutch drinking water companies came together to discuss the growing pollution of the Rhine. That meeting laid the foundation for the establishment of RIWA-Rijn. Thanks to the ICPR, a structured international forum emerged in which the concerns of the drinking water sector could be heard.

Today, RIWA-Rijn continues to actively contribute to the work of the ICPR, including in working groups focused on water quality, emerging substances and monitoring. Under the motto “what doesn’t go in, doesn’t have to be taken out,” RIWA-Rijn identifies and addresses risks in the Rhine basin and advocates for sustainable protection of the drinking water source.

Challenges: lithium and other emerging substances

The ICPR’s 75th anniversary comes at a time when new challenges are emerging. Industrial discharges are causing increasingly complex pollution of the Rhine. Last year, the Rhine Commission already addressed the issue of PFAS. This year, RIWA-Rijn expresses concern about lithium mining and processing in the Rhine basin. Lithium is essential for the energy transition but also poses risks to water quality. RIWA-Rijn therefore calls for the joint development of an environmental quality standard for lithium, to ensure that future generations can continue to rely on clean and safe drinking water from the Rhine.

A shared responsibility

The history of the ICPR shows that international cooperation works—and that continued effort is essential. RIWA-Rijn remains committed to contributing knowledge, data and concerns to ensure that the Rhine remains a reliable source of drinking water for the future.

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