Rhine river level continues to fall Ships allowed to sail again

Bonn · On Tuesday afternoon, the Rhine level in Bonn was around 7.50 meters. Since Monday, the water level has been falling and could get as low as the 7-meter mark. Ship traffic and navigation has resumed.

 This photo was taken last Friday: cargo ships anchor on the Rhine near Bonn harbor.

This photo was taken last Friday: cargo ships anchor on the Rhine near Bonn harbor.

Foto: dpa/Marius Becker

After the Rhine level in Bonn reached this year's high of 8.31 meters on Sunday, the water level is currently dropping again. On Monday afternoon, the water level was still just under 8.10 meters. By early Tuesday afternoon, the level had already dropped to around 7.50 meters.

Since Tuesday, shipping traffic on the Rhine has also been reopened. A spokesman for the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Authority said that the water level had dropped below 8.30 meters in Cologne in the morning. Thus, the Rhine is open for navigation again. However, there are still some restrictions: For example, ships would have to sail in the middle third of the river and reduce their speed to avoid wave action. For the next few days, a further drop in water levels is expected, so that the situation should relax even further.

A lot of rain and melted snow had caused flooding in Bonn and the region for more than a week. From Friday to Sunday, the water level of the Rhine showed permanently more than eight meters and caused flooding in many places.

As the city of Bonn announced on Monday, the fire department is keeping a close eye on developments despite the falling water level. Road closures in the city area will remain in place for the time being, and the city's regulatory service will continue to increase its control of flooded riverbank areas, according to reports.

The first precautions taken to protect against the flood have already been removed. For example, on Monday the civil engineering office removed the dam bar closures at the "Bahnhöfchen" restaurant in Beuel and opened the stem gate at Wolfsgasse. As soon as the water level has dropped to 7.40 meters, the dam beam closures at the restaurant "Rheinlust" will also be removed. On the Bonn side, the flood protection measures will not be removed until the water level reaches seven meters. Since last Tuesday, the Brassertufer has already been partially flooded and closed from the corner of Konviktstraße. An overview of all effects of the flood for the city of Bonn can be found here.

What effects the flood has and when

At a water level of 6.20 meters to 6.40 meters, the Mondorf ferry stops operating, at 6.80 meters, navigation on the Rhine stops. From seven meters, the dam gates in Beuel between Wolfsgasse and Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Strasse will be closed, and on the left side of the Rhine, the access roads to the Rhine bank in the area between Schaumburg-Lippe-Strasse to Legionsweg.

The bus stops "Bad Godesberg Fähre" and "Bad Godesberg Rheinufer" will no longer be served. In addition, from 7.40 meters, the light rail line 66 in the Königswinter/Bad Honnef-Rhöndorf area will be flooded. From 7.50 meters, the riverside promenade "Am Alten Zoll" is flooded, which is no longer passable from eight meters.

The data on the water level are based on measurements collected by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration. The measuring station is located in Bonn at Rhine kilometer 654.80.

(Original text: ga. Translation: Mareike Graepel)

Meistgelesen
Neueste Artikel
Zum Thema
Aus dem Ressort