Otterbach (Rhine)

Course of Otterbachs ( below)

The Otterbach is a good 42 km long river in the southern Palatinate ( Rheinland - Pfalz), which flows towards the Upper Rhine to the east or northeast.

Course

The Otterbach rises in the area of the Upper Mundatwaldes in the southeast of the Palatinate Forest. The source is at almost 300 meters up the hillside to the east of Burg Guttenberg between the High Derst ( 561 meters north ) and the high head ( 497 meters to the south ).

After the breakthrough of the low mountain range in the Upper Rhine Valley of Otterbach flows through the two communities named after him Oberotterbach and Niederotterbach, then Vollmersweiler and Freckenfeld, where he passed the Bienwald on its northern edge. In Minfeld he takes on the left of the Dierbach, then it forms the border between the districts of Kandel and Wörth. In Kandel joins from the right of the Bruchbach. In its course through the Jockgrim Otterbach meanders strong. Having Neupotz flow-through, he is dammed in southeastern Leimersheim to Fischmal; the pond is at one and a half kilometers in length up to 100 meters wide and represents a habitat for many water birds and plants

While a part of Otterbach water through a pumping station on the Rhine embankment to the right led directly to the Rhine, the left section of riverbed flows through the urban area of Leimersheim and united there with the coming of the left Erlenbach to Michel Bach. This is a former river loop of the Rhine and ends after a good twelve miles from the left in the main stream.

Despite his course of Otterbach mouth as a direct tributary of the Rhine ( or the flowing eastward Leimer Heimer Old Rhine ) is classified, as is also apparent from the rivers codes ( 23754 Michel Bach, Otterbach 237522 ).