When an opencast lignite mine is closed the artificially lowered groundwater essentially has to be restored to its pre-mining level as quickly as possible. This means taking account not only of the impact that mining operations have had on the water landscape but also of any local infrastructural features and housing devel opments. The various hydrological problems and responsibilities associated with such an operation are presented and discussed below from the perspective of the Rhineland lignite mining area. This paper is an updated version of an article of the same title that was published in Wasserwirtschaft (no. 4, 2017). © 2019, Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH. All rights reserved.