Lake Zug
Lake Zug is located in central Switzerland at an altitude of 413 m above sea level. M., has an area of 38.41 km ² and a maximum depth of 198 m. With its maximum length of 13.7 km and its maximum width of 4.6 km, it is the tenth largest lake in Switzerland. At its narrowest point between Chiemen and Lothenbach the banks are about 1000 meters apart. Lake Zug, together with the area of the lake has a catchment area of 246 km ².
The Hauptzu and outflow is the Lorze, which flows through the lake of Zug for a short distance to the north. It flows west of the train into the lake and leaves again at 1,5 km Distance to Cham. Lake Zug is shared by the wooded peninsula Chiemen in the bergumrahmten and deep Upper Lake in the south and the flat and wide submarine in the North.
Location
On the northeastern shore of the lake, the cantonal capital is train, in the south Schwyzer community Arth. For the most neighboring Canton train in the north include 24.32 km ² of the lake, followed by Schwyz to the south, with a share of 11.67 km ² and a small part of the canton of Lucerne in the West at Chiemen with a share of 2.42 km ² lake.
Ecology
Lake Zug was until the beginning of the 20th century oligotrophic ( nutrient-poor ), but then was a result of greatly increasing eutrophication long time to the most polluted lakes in Switzerland. He still has a strong nutrient loading, even if the water quality is gradually improving. The excessive phosphorus present causes heavy growth of algae in the upper layers of the lake, which in turn cause by their aerobic degradation after the death of a lack of oxygen in the deep water. Due to the above-average depth in the upper lake, this process is enhanced because there the water is cut off a long time from the atmosphere. Main reasons for the poor water quality are the long residence time of the water in the pool and the lack of mixing due to the poor flow situation of Lorze nowadays. Therefore, the water of 3.18 km ³ comprehensive lake also has a mean residence time of 14.5 years. Previously, the phosphorus load was mainly caused by the phosphates contained in detergents, the unfiltered passed through the sewage into the lake. To improve the situation of the city train in 1953 decided to build a two-stage sewage treatment plant, which in 1968 was followed by a third treatment stage, the filtered out phosphates from wastewater. Since the waste water from the other communities lying on the lake but still unclear flowed into the lake, in 1969 by Lake Zug Cantonal adopted the Law on the waters ( GEWG ), which provided for the entire sewer to connect the lake with a ring line and the wastewater in a regional wastewater treatment plant in Schoenau to guide below Cham. Since its completion in 1977, the system clears the Frisian Cham sewage from 14 municipalities. It is supported by the Water Protection Association, founded in 1970 Region Zug - Küssnacht - Aegerisee ( GVRZ ). But the increased use of fertilizers in agriculture reached again soon large quantities of phosphorus by leachates in Lake Zug, the basis of which in September 1990, the law was expanded over the waters around New guidelines for agriculture.
Flora and Fauna
In Zug, there are 32 species of fish. Of economic importance as a food fish of which the whitefish, the Zug red chalk ( an autochthonous nature of the arctic char ), the perch ( perch ) and the pike. The 1281 first mentioned in red chalk was used until the Late Middle Ages as a means of payment in the region. The sharp decline in fishing quotas in the course of the 20th century could be easily lifted by the then measures introduced again. In addition to efforts to improve water quality and food fish are artificially reared and exposed in fish hatcheries and maintained the natural spawning grounds of fish. The adjacent train cantons, Schwyz and Lucerne are bound by the inter-cantonal Concordat on fishing in Lake Zug from April 1, 1970 law on sustainable management of Lake Zug.
The littoral zone of Lake Zug is built for the most part. The reed banks have fallen sharply since the beginning of the 20th century. They are found only on the north shore and the northern part of the western shore. About one- third of the shallow water zone is overgrown by plants such as algae, mosses, ferns and horsetails. The shore and shallow water area silted up slowly through incomplete decomposition of dead plants and leaves by peat bogs that were formerly used extensively by residents.