Citizen information in Ob/Bidingen

On February 26, 2024, a citizens' information evening was held in the municipality of Ob near Bidingen in Allgäu. The meeting offered citizens the opportunity to find out more about the planned water storage project and to actively participate in the discussion about its implementation in their community.

The meeting began with a presentation by the project management (Prof. Dr. Thomas Baumann), in which the basic principles and objectives of the Smart-SWS project were explained. The scientific basis for the selection of this municipality as a location for Smart-SWS was presented by Lea Augustin. Building on this, Jörn Bartels presented possible geotechnical measures and their impact on the local groundwater balance. The event concluded with a short presentation on changes to ecosystem functions that are dependent on groundwater in the region. Afterwards, citizens had the opportunity to ask questions and express their concerns or suggestions.

The lively discussion was evidence of lively interest and committed community participation.

The citizens' information evening was an important step towards transparent communication and democratic decision-making. The information and suggestions gathered will now be incorporated into the further planning of the Smart-SWS project to ensure that the interests and needs of the Ob community are taken into account in the best possible way. Once again, it is clear how crucial the active participation of citizens is for the successful implementation of projects in a municipality, which is why a further information event is already being requested and planned before the end of the project.