The ministry, with its total of eight departments, provides the Bavarian State Minister of the Environment and Consumer Protection with expert assistance in fulfilling his tasks as a member of the Bavarian state government.

Water management in Bavaria consists mainly of protecting water as part of the ecosystem and a habitat for animals and plans, making it possible for people to use water responsibly and protecting them from water-related hazards. Specialists at the Ministry of the Environment, the 17 regional water authorities (Wasserwirtschaftsämter), the State Office for the Environment (Landesamt für Umwelt), in the 7 administrative regional governments and in 96 municipal districts and cities are committed to making this possible. In combination with a functional (water) infrastructure, water management will secure the basis of our quality of life in the long term.