Surprise in the untersteinach water dispute: by the time of the castle meeting in september, the "pressecklein must not die" initiative will have been approved let their work rest. This was confirmed by helmut bergmann (WGU) when asked by BR. "We have to consider whether it makes sense to stand up for other people. We'll wait and see what the mayor has to say at the castle meeting", he said.
This change of mind was caused by injunctions, which the ferwasserversorgung oberfranken (upper franconia water supply) worked out with a lawyer. Addressees are tobias eichner, who presents the positions of the community of interests on the internet page of "untersteinach transparent" and bernhard herrmann, who had repeatedly emphasized in a public event that the O and the engineering firm baurconsult (the firm that is working out the renovation concepts, anm. D. Editors) were connected "like pitch and sulfur or like a plug and a socket".
Wrong water price
"We do not want to participate in any way in the discussion of which option should be pursued in untersteinach. But the initiative works with completely false factual assertions. And they are disrespectful and degrading", said the managing director of the O, markus rauh, who is from kulmbach.
The initiative had claimed, among other things, that water prices in the municipalities supplied by O were between 2.40 and 2.60 euros per cubic meter. This, according to rauh, is not the case. "The price of water in communities with a full connection to the o actually averages 1.70 euros per cubic meter." This average, he said, was determined in august 2017 from the water price of the 34 municipalities that have a full connection.
In untersteinach, the current price of water is 1.32 euros per cubic meter net and 1.41 euros gross. A new calculation, however, is pending this year.
"I now draw the reibleine"
On the "untersteinach transparent" website the following has recently been published: "with this clarification, i, tobias eichner, am also revoking the objectively false factual claim i made about the water price situation in communities with a full connection to the o." Eichner goes one step further: he announces "immediately and permanently" his commitment to "untersteinach transparent and in the community of interests for the preservation of their own wells to.
Upon request, tobias eichner confirmed that the revocation was also accompanied by a cease-and-desist letter demanding payment of 10.000 euro is threatened. "I'm pulling the ripcord now and focusing on my independence", said eichner and emphasized that he was interested in a constructive agreement with the o. He has since deleted the facebook page.
The burgerinitiative is not a registered association. That's why, when push came to shove, eichner would be alone in the pillory, unless the 75 supporters so far voluntarily stood in together.
"Pending proceedings"
The second addressee of the cease-and-desist letter, bernhard herrmann, does not confirm receipt of the complaint. He told BR that this was a "pending procedure" and that the handle. Herrmann would prefer to make publications on this subject "in a way that seems right to me," said markus rauh.
We supply a quarter of the upper franconian municipalities with our water", the discussion that has flared up in untersteinach is extremely unhappy. The kodel dam has a volume of 21 million cubic meters of water, only twelve million were tapped per year. "We never have a problem with the amount of water. In recent years, the lake level has never been below seventy percent", according to markus rauh.
Rauh also made it clear that the water supply contracts between the municipality of untersteinach and the O stipulated an order volume of 21,000 cubic meters. In january 2010, the order volume was increased by 20,000 cubic meters from the original 1,000 to the current level, according to the head of administration, martin betz. "The government of upper franconia can also confirm these amounts", said markus rauh, dismissing suggestions that there were contracts for more than 50,000 cubic meters.
"Every euro must be apportioned"
The municipality of untersteinach is currently in the process of compiling reliable figures for various options for the future water supply. The results are to be presented at the castle meeting.
According to martin betz, the claim that the citizens will only be asked to pay if they are connected to the O also does not correspond to the facts. The water supply is a so-called cost-accounting facility. "Every euro must be apportioned", emphasized the head of administration.
Whether this is done via the current fees or whether one-time contributions are levied, the municipal council decides. The primary goal is to keep the costs for the construction of demand facilities and pipeline networks as well as repairs to the pipeline network as low as possible, according to betz.