Soil, contaminated sites
Soil protection is of particular importance in densely populated areas and requires special consideration in a wide range of measures. A soil ecology concept map is available for the city of Chemnitz as a basis for planning soil protection projects, assessing contaminated sites, landscape and urban planning, nature conservation, planning rainwater infiltration systems and as an aid for subsoil issues. It consists of several individual thematic maps.
The City of Chemnitz monitors compliance with the public legal obligations arising from the Federal Soil Protection Act, the Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Ordinance and the Saxon Waste and Soil Protection Act.
Harmful changes to the soil must be avoided at all costs. Property owners and users of land must take appropriate precautions. Particularly in the case of construction and demolition projects or recultivation, approval must be obtained from the lower soil protection authority (Unteren Wasser-, Bodenschutzbehörde) regarding the harmlessness of the backfill material prior to the placement or introduction of materials for backfilling or land levelling.
Hazards emanating from contaminated sites (old deposits and old sites) must be eliminated by the polluter, the landowner or the holder of actual control by means of decontamination or safety measures. If soil contamination or contaminated sites become known or are caused, they must be reported immediately to the lower soil protection authority.
As the landowner, the City of Chemnitz is remediating municipal contaminated sites (former chemical trade Werner-Seelenbinder-Straße and others).
Known contaminated sites and suspected contaminated sites are recorded in the Saxon Contaminated Sites Register (SALKA). Information is provided on the basis of a written informal application or this form.
The "Environmental Report on Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites" of the City of Chemnitz, as of 2007, provides an overview of the problem.