Rur Dam
The Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel is a 77.4 m high, existing since 1938 Dam in the southwest part of North Rhine -Westphalia ( Germany ), the (also: Rursee ) the Rur in the cities of Aachen and Düren to 7.83 km ² Rurstausee dams.
The accumulated by the Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel Rurstausee has Vorsperre upper lake has a volume of 203.2 million cubic meters of storage space and is, according to the Bleilochstausee (Thuringia) and in front of the Lake Eder (Hesse), the second largest reservoir in Germany in terms of volume. Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel and Rurstausee include water Eifel-Rur.
Geographical location
Consisting of Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel and Rurstausee dam Rurstausee is located in the northern Eifel part Rureifel northwest and west of the Kermeters, northeast of Monschau rear Lands and east-southeast of the ridge Buhlert between Simmerath ( Aachen region ) in the west southwest and Heimbach ( Düren district ) in the east. It is located directly below the south built by Rurstausee Paulushofdamms which impounds the waters of the Rur and Urft the upper lake, and extends in the Eifel National Park, founded in 2004, which is framed by the boundaries of the park Venn- Eifel.
Dam
The Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel, which is an as earth and rockfill dam with inner seal erected clay dam, is in the district of Düren approximately 2.7 km west of the center, the core city of Heimbach and a few hundred meters west of the Heimbacher district hares field.
The dam was built in 1934-1938 and commissioned in the initial version in 1939 in operation. During World War II (1939-1945), the bottom outlet pipes of the dam were blown up on February 8, 1945 as a defensive measure against the advancing Allies.
Between 1955 and 1959, the dam of yore 61.4 m to 16 m was increased to 77.4 m height above the foundation level.
Reservoir
The Rurstausee located in the cities of Aachen and Düren on Kermeter between the Heimbacher district Hare Field in the Northeast, the Nideggener district Schmidt and the community Simmerather part Rurberg in the southwest. Villages, of which access to the reservoir is possible Heimbach, Rurberg ( upper lake ), Schmidt- Eschauel, Schwammenauel and Woffelsbach are ( in alphabetical order ).
The Rurstausee is upon reaching the water level ( full back ) about 10.6 Rurflusskilometer ( about 5 km as the crow between end of the lake and dam ) long. Then he has about 7.83 km ² total area and 203.2 million cubic meters of storage space. The storage root of the water is - 24 km from the Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel - above the upper lake.
Directly to the southwest end of the Rursee borders of Eiserbachdamm which impounds the Rurstausee inflow Eiserbach the forebay Eiserbach, and to be immediately south end of Paulushof, which impounds the Rur and Urft the forebay upper lake.
Special features of the Rursee the island Eichert, the peninsula at Tonsberg and the Eschauel peninsula ( with the same beach), which can be reached depending on water levels on foot. The wooded island Eichert rises as an offshoot of the peninsula at Tonsberg with its highest point (about 318 m above sea level. NHN ) 36.5 m above the water level ( 281.5 m) of the Rursee. About 500 m southwest of the island is a with full back a few meters high and measured along its center line 100 m long island, which is an extension of the Eschauel Peninsula. On the peninsula at 333.3 m high Tonsberg a Burgwüstung is ( cultural monument ). By 1959 completed boulevard increase the storage space grew from once about 101 million cubic meters to 101.6 million cubic meters to its current 202.6 million m³.
Use
Power generation
Mainly built for water level regulation of the Rur Rur dam is also used to generate electricity. The storage power station has taken in Schwammenauel a Francis turbine with an installed capacity of 9.5 MW and will, together with the power plant Heimbach, predominantly in the morning hours of the weekdays to cover the peak load in operation. The generators of the downstream barrages Heimbach and Obermaubach have 0.75 MW and 0.6 MW of installed capacity, the power plant Heimbach ( operated with Urftwasser but located at the Rur Heimbach ) 16 MW. The sake of completeness, the generators of Oleftalsperre be mentioned, which together have 3 MW of installed capacity. They are operated by RWE Innogy. The power plant in Schwammenauel 2012 was modernized and renovated.
From the summer of 2011, there were plans to increase the Rurtalsperre with another upper reservoir and the pump storage power plant Rur at Schmidt. The performance of this power plant would then be 640 MW and would thus become one of the largest in Central Europe. Since the plans are meeting with some of fierce criticism in the region, a successful citizens' initiative was formed against the project.
Abstraction of drinking water
So-called raw water is taken for drinking water from the upper lake. The pumping station at Rurberg pumps the water taken into the Kalltalsperre over the Heinrich Geis studs. There is another tunnel connection ( Kallstollen ) for Dreilaegerbach dam. Below the Dreilaegerbach dam is the water treatment plant for drinking water treatment and distribution further into the drinking water supply for the district of Aachen, Vaalser room and part circle Heinberg. For this reason, there are strict restrictions on the upper lake in the use as a recreation area.
Storage space
The Rurstausee has 202.6 million m³ of storage space; added the 17.9 million m³ of its pre-dam upper lake. Rur, Urft and Oleftalsperre be used in an interconnected and secure with their reservoirs, the availability of about 265 million cubic meters of storage space.
Recreation and water
The reservoirs are an estimated of water sports and recreation seekers recreational area. The operator of the dams, the water Eifel-Rur, adopted for the use of the waters terms of use. The use of the upper lake is not approved for water sports ( drinking area). On the reservoirs operate the sightseeing boats Rursee shipping.
Inflows and outflows
Among the tributaries of the Rursee belong with - if known - Length in kilometers (km ) ( in alphabetical order ):
- Allersbach ( 2.9 km ); from the ridge Buhlert coming from west-north -west, flows into the reservoir - central part
- Büdenbach ( 1.1 km ); from Kermeter coming from the south, flows near the dam in the reservoir -northeast part
- Eschbach (1 km ); from Kermeter coming from the south, empties into the reservoir -northeast part
- Hohenbach (2.1 miles); from Kermeter coming from the south, empties into the reservoir -northeast part
- Lederbach ( 1.1 km ); from the ridge Buhlert the hamlet of Klaus coming from the northwest, flows into the reservoir - central part
- Morsbach (1.2 km); Coming from Schmidt- Eschauel from the north, flows into the reservoir - central part
- Rur ( 164.5 km ) ends up as the main inflow from the south to the southern end of the reservoir; forms the only natural drainage
- What Bach (3.5 km); Monschau from the rear country / coming from the direction Simmerath in the west, flows into the artificial lake south -
- Wolf creek (2.2 miles); Monschau from the rear country / Coming of Steckenborn from the west, flows into the artificial lake south -
- Schilsbach, coming from Hechelscheidt / Klaus, empties in Woffelsbach / Schilsbachtal
- Weidenbach, empties in Rurberg / Weidenbachtal