[Development and pilot testing of the Lower Saxony drinking water incident register NITRIS to enhance situational awareness and provide a knowledge base].

To protect critical infrastructure and improve situational awareness and knowledge of drinking-water incidents in Lower Saxony, the State Health Office (NLGA), commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Equality, developed the Lower Saxony Drinking-Water Incident Register (NITRIS) as a password-protected web application. It is currently in a pilot phase that has been running since September 2025. NITRIS enables municipal public health offices to record drinking-water incidents directly and in a standardized manner. Once an incident is closed, all health offices in Lower Saxony can access the case, fostering knowledge exchange and networking across jurisdictions. In addition, NITRIS provides centrally curated resources-such as guidance documents, press-release templates, and operational checklists-to support consistent communication and response.