Since August 2000 the HSL has been responsible for the scientific coordination of the main funding area "percolation water prognosis" of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The main funding area consists of 41 projects given a total grant of about 11 million €. The percolation water prognosis is an instrument of the "Federal Ordinance on Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites" (BBodSchV) to assess the groundwater risk, which arises from contaminated sites or from the application of contaminated materials (demolition waste materials, ashes, slags, etc.) on soils. Within the main funding area a better scientific basis of valid but also practicable methods for carrying out the percolation water prognosis shall be worked out, which can be included in the amendment of the BBodSchV.

In agreement with the Project Agency for Water Technology and Disposal (PtWT+E) at the Karlsruhe Research Center, which is in overall charge for the main funding area, the main tasks of the HSL include the regular analysis, assessment and orientation of the single projects, the central collection and interpretation of the accumulated data in an appropriate database, the organization of regular meetings and workshops, and the presentation of the obtained results to the interested public.