Lake Constance floods – Is a wave coming to the High Rhine?

High Rhine – currently attracts the attention of many. Brown masses of water flow downstream in its wide bottom. Some riverside trails remain flooded and closed. The power plants on the Rhine River have opened their dams. The floods are too large to be completely channeled through the turbines.

The flood situation between Waldshut and Rheinfelden is already tense. And it can get worse. Because there is still huge potential in Lake Constance. This is not surprising, as the water level is well above the five-metre mark. The highest risk level still applies to Swiss Untersee – Level 5.

Convenient location at the mouth of the Aare River

On the forecast map issued by the Baden-Württemberg State Institute for the Environment (LUBW), not only Lake Constance itself is colored orange, indicating a moderate risk of flooding, but also the section of the Rhine River from the Untersee to the mouth of the Rhine River. Thursday. But LUBW expert Ute Bad can rule out that this will soon also apply to the western sections from Waldshut down. “A ten-year flood in Lake Constance does not automatically mean a flood in the High Rhine,” she explains.

It is useful that the situation at the mouth of the Aare River, which is a source of flooding, is currently calm. But: “Lake Constance will definitely remain orange on our map for a few more weeks,” she says.

There is still a lot of snow in the Alps. “It will take some time for the situation to calm down there.”

Recent floods in the High RhineOn the weekend of June 1 and 2, rivers burst their banks in many places along the High Rhine after several days of rain. On the afternoon of Saturday 1st June, the level of the Rhine River in the Rheinweiler/Lorach area reached 7.13 metres. There were widespread flooding in Waldshut, Kissaberg and Hohentingen, among other cities. The highest water levels were recorded on Saturday, but the situation eased again in many places during Sunday.

“The situation is definitely not dire,” says Hartmut Scherer, head of the waterways department at the Freiburg Regional Council. Flood of the year.

Scherer also doesn't see the monster wave coming from Lake Constance now rushing into the region. He explains that this spreads along the long river. But it is also clear that everything must pass through the course of a single river. Flood zones such as those in the Upper Rhine are not available in the High Rhine.

All four dams at the Säckingen-Rhine power station are currently open

Scherer does not yet see any problems for hydroelectric power plants in the Upper Rhine region. He explains that they are prepared for a flood that will last more than 100 years.

But it is also clear: with 2,100 cubic meters of water per second currently at the Säckingen-Rhine power station, all four dams are currently open in order to defuse the situation.

Cleaning at Waldshut miniature golf course

Meanwhile, cleaning work continues at the Waldshut mini-golf course. Miniature Golf Club's Manfred Schmidlin stands with tools and a garden hose in the mud that is still ankle-deep in places, methodically cleaning hole after hole.

“It is the second time this year that we have obtained something,” he said when our newspaper asked him. He and his teammates haven't lost their good mood yet. Because it is normal to have a small flood once or twice a year and a big flood every ten years, as was the case at the beginning of June.

When planning clean-up work, keep a close eye on the water gauge at Hauenstein and others. The outlook is currently good, which is why it's continuing. “A critical value was reached on Monday again, and some water and mud flowed into the site again,” Schmidlin said. Club members are now confident that there is no further danger at the moment.