Jeetzel

Jeetzel on the lower reaches between Seerau and Hitzacker at high water

The Jeetzel is an approximately 73 km long, left or southern tributary of the Elbe in the northern German lowlands in the states of Saxony -Anhalt and Lower Saxony. In Saxony -Anhalt, the river is called Jeetze.

Geography

Course

The river originates as Jeetze in the southwestern Altmark in northern Saxony-Anhalt. Its source is near the village Altferchau in the end moraine complex of the Southern Country Ridge, north of the Drömling. From there its course leads to the north, records the tributaries Hartau and Tangelnscher stream, crosses the moraines of the " Altmark plates ", Salzwedel happened and then passes briefly to the Lower Saxony region. Here, in Wendland, where the river Jeetzel is called, it now flows through formerly vermoorte lowland areas further north, parallel to the Drawehn - ridge, through the cities Wustrow, Lüchow and Dannenberg to at Hitzacker into the Elbe to lead (see also: Natural Spatial main unit group Wendland and Altmark).

820 m mouth route among the so-called other inland waterways of the covenant, for the Waterways and Shipping Office Lauenburg is responsible.

Inflows

The river system of Jeetzel include not only the Jeetzel even 79 more named watercourses. The river has a catchment area of ​​1928 square kilometers. Among the 26 direct tributaries of the Jeetzel include ( downriver considered ):

• Hartau
• Purnitz
• Salzwedel Stupid
• Lüchower Landgraben
• Wustrower Stupid
• Lübelner Mühlebachstrasse
• Luciekanal

Name

The river name is possibly of Slavic origin and would be derived in this case from the old - Slavic jasenu (Polish jesion ), which means as much as Eschenbach. This could be because the river edges of ash and alder-ash forests were lined. An alternative explanation is ( ferment, absent, to go into the air ) is the derivative of the Germanic geza.

River regulation

If the same is in flood, it comes to characteristic damming the Jeetzel that now "reverse" flows. In previous centuries, so there was regular long-range floods in the lowlands of the central Wendland (the main Moorniederung between Lüchow and Dannenberg is " Lucie " called ). Since the 1950s, extensive engineering measures have been implemented in this already for the Elbe river valley belonging Area: A new seamed with dykes channel ( " New Jeetzel ", " Jeetzelkanal " ) was created. This larger, adjustable outfall a spacious drainage of the mire valley was made possible and the periodic floods were curbed. The now " Old Jeetzel " runs still meandering - but only with a fraction of the previous runoff - in parallel, to be finally supplied to the Jeetzelkanal behind Dannenberg via a pumping station.

The water management interventions in favor of intensive farming and settlement protection have the untouched nature landscape ecology largely degraded. Much of the fen land was drained and cut off from seasonal floods. Therefore, this retention area for peak runoff is now missing. Impounds the Jeetzel today back Elbe floods, rising very rapidly, the water level in between the now too narrow dike corset. Furthermore, given that is technically obsolete sand dams, there is a latent danger of dam failures and sudden flooding of the hinterland between Lüchow and Dannenberg.

In elbnahen mouth region amplified the large backlog of Jeetzel as before the regulation, the flood impact, among other things for the city lying there Hitzacker. The old town is then included not only the previously unbedeichten side of the river, but also by swelling Jeetzelarmen and transformed literally into an island ("city island "). The highest ever flood were in April 2006, measured in August 2002 and in 1895 and have the old town under water.

After the flood of 2006, a shut-off was built, making it possible to completely separate the Jeetzel and Hitzacker from the Elbe flood. This includes a wall that can be increased if necessary with metal plates, and a sluice gate in the mouth region of the Jeetzel. A pumping station with 60 m³ / s pumping capacity, the water flowing from the Jeetzel pumped into the Elbe, was commissioned in 2008. Also, were concreted by Jameln from downstream on both sides of Jeetzel (from Lüggau only on the right bank ) dike defense pathways to allow emergency services of Jeetzeldeichverbandes unhindered access to the dike.

Conservation

Parts of the catchment area of the middle and lower Jeetzel were subsequently notified in 2004 by the state of Lower Saxony under the name " water system of Jeetzel with spring woods " as the Habitats Directive area as part of the European Natura 2000 conservation area concept. In addition to the main sections of the course and tributaries are (diverse from the Drawehn flowing "Mill Creeks " ) included therein. The estuary near underflow is part of the FFH area " Elbe valley between Schnackenburgallee and Lauenburg " and the " Biosphere Reserve Lower Elbtalaue ".

The Old Jeetzel is used as a tourist canoe area.