The country’s leading specialist event on sponge cities, water protection and heavy rainfall preparedness, taking place on 23 and 24 June at HTWK Leipzig
How can towns and cities be better prepared for heavy rainfall, heatwaves, droughts and the consequences of climate change? What new legal requirements will local authorities and the water sector face? Answers to these questions will be the focus of the RegenwasserTage 2026, which will take place on 23 and 24 June at the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig). Organised by the German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA), the conference is regarded as Germany’s leading specialist event on topics such as rainwater treatment and water-conscious urban development. It has been held annually for over 20 years.
Experts from academia, local authorities, planning consultancies, companies and associations will gather in Leipzig to discuss the latest developments in urban rainwater management. The focus will be on new regulations for water body protection, concepts for water-conscious urban development, the operation of centralised and decentralised facilities, and strategies for heavy rainfall and flood prevention. The event will be accompanied by a trade exhibition featuring companies and institutions from the water sector.
“The effects of climate change are increasingly evident in longer dry spells and, at the same time, more frequent heavy rainfall events. Rainwater is thus becoming a key resource that we will need to manage even more intelligently in future,” says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hubertus Milke, who heads the Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Urban Water Management at HTWK Leipzig and has made it possible for the RegenwasserTage 2026 to be held at HTWK Leipzig: “The conference provides an important platform for bringing together the latest research findings, new regulations and practical experience.” Milke has been Chair of the Saxony/Thuringia Regional Association of the DWA for 13 years and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Association.
Sustainable urban drainage
The technical challenges are constantly increasing. By renaming the DWA Main Committee on ‘Drainage Systems’ to ‘Urban Drainage and Urban Rainwater Management’, the professional community is responding to this change. Today, there is a need for integrated solutions that combine water protection, climate adaptation and flood prevention.
HTWK Leipzig is contributing its expertise, particularly in the field of sustainable urban drainage and climate-adapted infrastructure development. Tilo Sahlbach, a researcher at the university, is featured in the programme. In his presentation ‘Impacts of Blue-Green Measures on Combined Sewer Treatment’, he will present the latest findings on the effects of nature-based stormwater management on existing drainage systems.
For HTWK Leipzig, the focus of the RegenwasserTage highlights its role as a key research and knowledge transfer partner in the fields of water management and climate adaptation. The university has been actively involved for many years in research, teaching and practical projects relating to sustainable infrastructure, urban water management and resilient cities; together with partners, it has, for example, developed heavyrainfallhazardmaps for Leipzig and the surrounding area.
The event will be led by renowned experts from academia and industry, including Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Brigitte Helmreich (Technical University of Munich), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Dittmer (RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helmut Grüning (Münster University of Applied Sciences) and Dr.-Ing. Stephan Fuchs (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology).
Background
The German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (DWA) is Europe’s largest professional association for water management, with around 14,000 members. As a politically and economically independent association, it is committed to sustainable water management and to promoting research and development. The DWA develops technical standards, supports the transfer of knowledge between academia and industry, and advises policymakers and the public on water management issues.
What, when, where?
Rainwater Days 2026 with accompanying trade exhibition
Date:
23 and 24 June 2026
Venue:
HTWK Leipzig
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 134 / NI 001
04277 Leipzig
Website and programme leaflet:
