today the lippe and the west german canal system still play a decisive role regarding the supply of industry and businesses with service water, even though the water demand in total is declining. circular economy, energy efficiency in all kind of businesses and the reduced water demand due to the changing energy policy (reduction of thermal power stations) unburden the river. moreover, the discharge of warmed water back to the river has been regulated by public law. improved municipal waste water treatment and the decline of coal mining have had positive impact on the water management, too.