Leopold Canal (Baden-Württemberg)

The channel in the river system of the Elz

Template: Infobox River / BILD_fehlt

The Leopold Canal is a canal on the spillway of the Elz. It has a length of 12.5 km, starts at latch on Emperor chair and opens at low Hausen from the right into the Rhine. 1846, the canal was named after the then Grand Duke Leopold of Baden.

History

Since time immemorial, natural flood plains of rivers Elz, Dreisamstadion and Glotter bolt from the high waters of these rivers were north affected by severe damage, famines and epidemics, such as 1778, when the Elz moved its riverbed and at times led to the Rhine between Wyhl and Weis Weil and nor 1801-1837 this area was flooded about 30 times.

1802 proposed a surveyor Knöbel from bar before the stalls of his place to build a canal that transfers high water of the three rivers on a straight path into the Rhine. Since the relations of domination were completely torn in this area, the possibility for an overarching planning revealed only after all municipalities in 1806 the Grand Duchy of Baden belonged. 1816 founded the government in Karlsruhe at the instigation of Johann Gottfried Tulla with the neighboring communities to Flussbauverband for the " emergency channel " between the bolt and the Rhine, which drew up the plans for the canal construction, which was finished in 1831. 1834 was decided by the Association, the channel whose costs were estimated at 385,000 florins to build.

On August 28, 1835, the government in Karlsruhe passed a law in which it was determined, " is to rectification of Dreisamstadion flow by means of a channel of Neuershausen and the Elzflusses Köndringen via bolt to the Rhine at Niedernhausen among the communities Neuershausen, Upper Schaffhausen, Bötzingen, Eichstetten, Bahlingen, Nymburk, Köndringen, Hecklingen, bars, Kenzingen, Herbolzheim, ring home, Kappel, Rust, upper and Lower Hausen a competition formed. For this company, a subsidy of 300,000 florins in four annual meetings is given from the state treasury. The new riverbed, including the dams falls to the State, the old river bed, however, the communities involved. "

1837 has started in three places with the construction. The riverbed was applied by hand to a width of 20 feet and piled up the levees to a height of six feet above the sole. As workers and women were employed, the approach carried the earth with baskets. 1843 was the 12.5-kilometer long canal between the bolt and the channel mouth are passed into the Rhine its determination.

The actual costs were 693,000 guilders far above the estimate, so that the communities had to take out the "competition" at the Baden Versorgungsanstalt in Karlsruhe a loan of 400,000 florins. Therefore, at times came displeasure on in the communities, but stopped when at the extreme floods in 1844 and 1845, the northern Breisgau was spared from flooding for the first time.

On November 15, 1846 " Noth - Canal Project" received the name of Grand Duke Leopold. On this day, an obelisk commemorating the construction of Leopold Canal was at the point in bars, at the "Old Elz " is discharged from the Leopold Canal, revealed. It bears the following inscription:

" To avert the devastating floods - the Dreisamstadion and Elz - were under the beneficent government - the Grand Duke Leopold - by the combined forces of the state - and the communities involved - built these channels - 1837-1842 - The Grand Duke Leopold the grateful communities. "

Catchment and hydrological data

At the level bars of the Regional Council of Freiburg, which is below the confluence of the Elz, age Dreisamstadion, Dreisamstadion channel and Glotter, the Leopold Canal has a catchment area of ​​1102 km ².

Leopold Canal and Old Elz be separated at this point. The Old Elz gets permanently about 7-8 m³ / s, while beyond this outflow, especially floods, are removed via the Leopold Canal. Because of this scheme, it can happen at very low amounts of water that the Leopold Canal falls mostly dry.

Statistical values ​​for water levels and outflows

After flood forecasting center of Baden- Württemberg, the following data are given for level bars. For comparison, values ​​are given in the last lines, which were measured at historical flood events.