Landwasser (Mandau)

The country water at Oberoderwitz

The land of water, depending on the location and Old water Auenwasser, village, flow, Grenzbach, Front water or shortly called Baach, is a 15 km long stream and a tributary of the Mandau.

Course

The country water springs on the so-called Löbauer meadow west of Forest village. On its further way it flows through the series and villages Eibau Or joke before it empties into the disc Mandau in the Middle Herwigsdorfer district. To protect against flooding of the creek was straightened sharply in its course and regulated. Tributaries of the country water include groundwater, the Spitzkunnersdorfer Bach, the bleaching pond water and the water Neufeld.

On his way, the country water is spanned by many bridges that are important, using the old railway viaduct of the railway line Lobau -Zittau in Oberoderwitz and Landsberg bridge between Mittelherwigsdorf and or joke about running the B96.

History

Numerous disaster floods are related to the country of water. By Korschelt (1871 ) and Kruschwitz (1880 ) were recorded a total of 22 flood in their chronicles of the 16th and 19th centuries. During the flood of 1595, 1666, 1674 and 1880 more than 35 people drowned in the floods. There were damages to buildings, bridges, and corridors. So even entire property with humans, animals and household items were swept away by the flood waters.

The largest flood of this kind took place from 13 to 15 June 1880 in which only eleven people in Central and Niederoderwitz and more perished in Zittau. During these days, over 300 houses were damaged. To coordinate the relief efforts traveled King Albert of Saxony personally. The cleanup and repair tasks dragged on until August 1880. 1883 to the victims of the flood, a memorial stone on the bank of the country in water Niederoderwitz has been set, which is still preserved.

More severe flooding occurred in the years 1966 and 1981. The penultimate floods occurred after heavy rains 7 August 2010, in which the level of the country water rose to about two meters. The last flood was on 9 June 2013.

Cause of the severe floods are cloudbursts and heavy precipitation at the Kottmar and upper Oderwitz Spitzberg that occur predominantly in the direction of the country water, but also the Pliessnitz. Through the most extensive deforestation of the area of the floor has a low water-holding force, the effect of which increases. Also, by quickly thaw several floods were triggered. In order to minimize the impact of floods as low as possible, the river bed was straightened and regulated so as to ensure a fast flow of water masses. As a further measure many residents poured on their land.

Fauna and Flora

Due to the fact that the course of the country water leads mainly through built up areas, lacking a pronounced Bachaue mostly. At the headwaters in Eibau and parts of Oberoderwitz also almost completely missing the shoreline, which dramatically affects at high water. Only the lower reaches just before the confluence with the Mandau there is a Bachaue, which in turn forms part of the FFH area Mandautal.

Use

Along the country water a total of eight water mills were built in the 16th century, only seven of which are in or joke. To operate the mills several dams were built, most of which still stand today. But when the water power of the country the water subsided in the thirties of the 20th century, were the major source of these mills to operate on diesel or electric motors or to a whole.

A majority of the mills is still preserved, but only the Berthold mill is still in operation and produces flour for local bakeries. The Felsenmühle in Mittelherwigsdorf presented its milling operation namely before the Second World War, but generated by a turbine until the 1970s electricity for their own use. The upper Oderwitz Stoll- mill was used to generate electric power and later used as a substation. Other mills on land water were the field mill at the foot of Eagle Mountain and the Hahmann mill in Oberoderwitz, as well as the Upper, Middle and Lower Mill in Niederoderwitz.

Today, the country water is mainly used for sewage disposal. The Abwasserzweckverband " Land Water ", which includes the communities Kottmar, Or wit and Mittelherwigsdorf, for this purpose runs a sewage treatment plant near the Mandaumündung.