diff --git a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/01_release_root_23.1.0.env b/hlrs-plumbing/envs/01_release_root_23.1.0.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 406ff28..0000000
--- a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/01_release_root_23.1.0.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-# this file is meant to be source'd
-#
-
-# need HLRS_OPT_PREFIX
-if [ -z "${HLRS_OPT_PREFIX}" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: need environment variable HLRS_OPT_DIR"
-else
-
-  HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_PREFIX=${HLRS_OPT_PREFIX}/spack/release
-  
-  HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION=23.1.0
-  HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT=${HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_PREFIX}/${HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION}
-
-  unset HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_PREFIX 
-  
-  export HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_VERSION HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT
-
-fi
-
diff --git a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/02_hlrs_spack_root_23.1.0.env b/hlrs-plumbing/envs/02_hlrs_spack_root_23.1.0.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 84f59a9..0000000
--- a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/02_hlrs_spack_root_23.1.0.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-# this file is meant to be source'd
-#
-
-# need HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT
-if [ -z "${HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT}" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: need environment variable HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT"
-else
-
-  HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_HLRS_SPACK_ROOT=${HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT}
-  # the following must be a directory containing a subdir named .spack-db/
-  HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_SPACK_INSTALL_TREE=${HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_RELEASE_ROOT}/optional
-
-  export HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_HLRS_SPACK_ROOT HLRS_SOFTWARE_STACK_SPACK_INSTALL_TREE
-
-fi
-
diff --git a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/xx_hlrs_spack_23.1.0.env b/hlrs-plumbing/envs/xx_hlrs_spack_23.1.0.env
deleted file mode 100644
index e18d66f..0000000
--- a/hlrs-plumbing/envs/xx_hlrs_spack_23.1.0.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-# this file is meant to be source'd
-#
-# this loads environemt for a fake HLRS spack release, in /localscratch
-# 
-
-source 00_base_prefix.env
-source 01_release_root_23.1.0.env
-source 02_hlrs_spack_root_23.1.0.env
-