Kaltes Wasser

The cold water just before Forellengut

The cold water is approximately 7.6 km long left or northern source river of thorn creek. Some see the cold water also only as a designation of the upper reaches of the creek or the thorn Eschbaches.

Name

The name Cold water is probably derived from the low water temperature of the stream.

Geography

Course

The cold water rises in the High Taunus in a wooded area southeast of the blade head ( 683 m above sea level. NN ) on him upstream cellar mountain in the area of the district Bad Homburg. A V-shaped valley with temporary water supply is already above 500 m. NN pronounced. Its located on the border of kluftreicherem Taunusquartzite to unterlagerndem, something denser Hermes wedge sandstone main sources in 420-460 m above sea level. NN lead z.T. water all year round and are enclosed by a larger wetland. The creek flows first in a south-easterly direction through the Bad Homburger state forest right at the Landgrave mountain ( 410 m above sea level. NN ) and at Sange Mountain (380 m above sea level. NN ) over. There he is fed by Mühlborn and a little later by Sangeborn.

1821 Elisabeth path was built, which also leads over the cold water. As the transition Landgraf bridge was built in memory of Frederick V and therefore corresponds to the length of 71 feet and 11 inches which the achieved age in years and days. The inscription on the crown of the barrel vault is: " FREDERICK JOSEPH Sv. LANDGRAF z.H.HOMBURG the 23th April 1828 ".

Before reaching the former imperial Forellenguts ( founded in 1894 and today restaurant ) is located on a small knoll, an obelisk. In this area, the Bad Homburger of the Landgrave in the 19th century to grow planted redwoods. The stream now changed its course in a more easterly direction and flows through a meadow area at the Hölscher, Harderts and at the Fischermühle over. He switches on again briefly in the forest, which he has permanently left on the border with Oberursel- Oberstedten. It now flows through a small garden. The center of Oberstedten is traversed underground of the creek. On the eastern outskirts of the village, he reappears at the surface. He now passes under the B 455 Here it underground flows of Lotze Grundbach to. The Cold water now flows past the bailiff, herb and at the Prökenmühle along the district border between Oberursel and Bad Homburg. The creek now changes over to the area of Bad Homburg and finally unites east of Knobel mill with the stream from the gold mine to the mandrel Bach.

Inflows

Among the tributaries of the Cold water include downriver considered:

• Mühlborn (right) - Area is today z.T. drained by an exploration of the former municipality Oberstedten.
• Sangeborn (left) - small, continuously flowing source of quartzite layer boundary to greenschist ( on Forellengut ).
• Lotze Grundbach (right) - today only rarely flowing ditch.
• Bach of the gold mine (right) - in old maps often called Dornbach ( to distinguish it from the larger Dornbach in Oberursel- Oberstedten referred to by historians today as age Dornbach ).

Data, character and Hydrology

The cold water has a catchment area of ​​7.538 km ² and its Middle runoff ( MQ ) is 58.3 l / s It is one of the rivers of the type Silicate means mountain stream. The creek has a strongly acidic environment, especially due to the quartzite in the underground and the flat wetlands with peat moss and spruce in the upper reaches. The sources themselves have z.T. higher pH values ​​, especially when it comes to permanently bulk gulf groundwater sources. Accordingly, they have a richer fauna species than the main stream. Your water temperature is constant around 7 degrees. When flowing through the chalky fish ponds at Forellengut the acidity of its water is decreased and the water temperature. Before Forellengut the creek has water quality Tier I. After that the water quality is degraded by fish waste. The cold water is z.T. in the catchment area of the Bad Homburg Elisabeth tunnel. In contrast to the neighboring brook Heuchelbach which dries up in the headwaters longer, the influence of this drinking water tunnel at Cold water is less obvious. Part of the situated at the layer boundary quartzite / Hermes wedge sandstone main sources of water always leads - in dry years such as 1973 and 1976 came from the strongest source below the Homburger hut but only from 0.15 to 0.20 l / s In wet years the outflow source is located here in the summer, however, at about 1 l / s By infiltrations in drier riparian areas of the river was dried up short in its course, however, in 1973 above the Forellenguts. When it rains, the wetlands as sponges suck in the cold Wassertal a hand full, on the other hand they also give the precipitation water at saturation again quickly. The result is much saturation surface runoff.

Biosphere

In the headwaters grow spruce trees, old birch and beech. The spruce replaces the forestry successively by alders. The herb layer is very nutrient-poor conditions. The wettest parts take a peat moss, surrounded by the yellow flowers of the ordinary Gilbweiderichs and stocks of fern on the bank of the stream.

In seasonally dry area dominated Molinie. On the valley slopes are different variants of the Luzulo - Buchwald represented by wavy, blueberry, vulgar white moss and bracken. Further down the valley, particularly in the area of less acidic sources are in addition Opposite- leaved Golden Saxifrage, Skullcap, Sumpfsegge and forest rush.

In the meadow between the Hölscher and the Fischermühle cotton grass, fever clover, bristle grass and Marsh Orchid occur. The stocks of forest lice herb leaf and heart are extinguished by Drainierung and Verbrachung.