Sources of the Rhine

As the source of the Rhine Toma applies in the canton of Grisons, the discharge after a few kilometers, as pure as Tuma in the Anterior Rhine (Romanesque clean Anteriur ) rises. The course of its waters is hardly representative, but is usually taken all the water after almost two kilometers in a water catchment and returned to the reservoir Curnera. This water looks close to the Rhine bed again only at the Central Tavanasa and passes again until at Illanz into the Rhine. Gar only near Chur, more precisely from the Association of Hinter Rhine and the Rhine at Reichenau front, the river is only called Rhine.

Criteria for distinguishing primary and secondary flows

There are different criteria for the definition of the main river, and, depending on definition, regardless of the designation of the waters, each mark other sources the beginning of the main strand. The determination of the main line is in the river system of the front and rear Rhine difficult, since often rivers meet almost the same size. For common criterion of (initially only apparently ) larger water management could with the progressive cartographic collection more are being added each occur as greater length, the larger each catchment or (occasionally) the highest sources.

Crucial to the nomenclature may be the preserved flow direction or meaning of the valleys as housing and transport space. Both agree somewhat on the Rhine front, especially since the Hinter Rhine area was sparsely populated until the arrival of the Walser.

Rhein resources by name

The source of the Rhine and of the Anterior Rhine is as indicated on the Atlas of Switzerland by the Federal Office of Topography and ETH Zurich north of the clean Tuma and Toma, that of Hinterrheins in the high valley of the Rhine Forest east under the Rheinwaldhorn.

In the Rhine headwaters there is a special situation that there are many rivers with the name Rhein, in various ( Romansh ) spelling variants such as the Rhine, Pure, Rain, Ragn, Ren, Reno or Rin.

Rheinquelle after every greatest water management

The source of the main flow path is obtained by upstream assesses at each confluence of the each major river. At the confluence of the front and rear Rhine at Reichenau the Anterior Rhine leads 53.8 m³ / s and the slightly larger rear Rhine 59.6 m³ / s At the confluence of the Albula this is inherently just a little larger than the rear Rhein ( 29.1 m³ / s compared to 27.3 m³ / s). At the confluence of the country the water in the Albula then, the country water is significantly larger (9.45 m³ / s compared to 5.57 m³ / s). Finally, it appears when looking at the headwaters of the country water at Davos that the Quellast Dischmabach is slightly larger than the Quellast Flüela Bach, including the former smaller inflow from the lake of Davos. The hydrological main flowpath of the Alpine Rhine thus takes the top Dischmatal its beginning, far larger rivers with names Rhine.

The current level of annual values ​​no longer give these natural drainage again for a long time, since in many power plants, water is passing away forwarded beyond the boundaries of natural catchments on important levels the power centers; so from the southern area of the Anterior Rhine in the rear of the Rhine, from the Rhine to the Albula rear or from the land and water of the Albula the lower Rhine background (Albula - country hydropower plants ). Also on the top land water area of water Flüela Bach and Lake Davos is led into the next valley and the turbines at Aeua in Klosters.

If the reasoning of the largest water supply would be extended from the Alpine Rhine to the total Rhine, it would have to because of the higher water levels in the river Aare near Koblenz AG (560 m³ / s compared to 439 m³ / s) of Aaregletscher deemed Rheinquelle.

Rheinquelle after every greatest length

On the " source of the Rhine " known Tomasee a notice indicating the ( erroneous ) length value is " 1320 km to the mouth " (there are only about 1230 km ).

The flow path from the source of the Tomasee Rein da Tuma flowing through measures about 71 km to the confluence of the front and rear Rhine (from there it's about another 1160 kilometers of river to its mouth in the North Sea). However, there are in the front Rhine area some longer flow paths between the source and the confluence near Reichenau:

• About 76 miles: Rein da Medel ( middle reaches also Froda, Ticino headwaters Reno di Medel called )
• About 75 miles: Rein da Maighels ( tributary of the Rein da Curnera )
• About 74 miles: Rein da Curnera
• About 71 miles: Rein da Tuma ( with Toma and most important catchment on )
• About 71 miles: Rein da Nalps
• About 70 km: two near the Oberalp pass coming down from the fields Puožas and Milez headwaters
• 70 km: the coming down from the Val Val Quellarm Aua da Val, which seeps in the vicinity of point 2367 m under a Blockmoräne and shortly thereafter reappear on a ledge
• About 69.5 km: Ouch since Urlaun, tributary of the Rein da Tuma

Slightly shorter are generally the flow paths in the area of ​​Hinterrheins:

• About 72 miles: Dischmabach
• About 70 miles: Flüela Bach
• About 64 miles: Behind Rhine
• About 63 miles: Julia
• About 61 miles: Madrischer Rhine
• About 56 miles: Albula Quellarm Ava since Ravais -ch from Berguen eastward
• About 53 miles: coming from the Crap Alv Laiets Albula Quellarm near the Albula Pass

The longest Quellarm both the Anterior Rhine, as well as a total of the Rhine, is therefore of about 7.5 km south of the Reno di Medel Tomasee springing whose source and upper reaches in the area of ​​Ticino community Quinto lie west of the Lukmanier pass.

Size of the catchment areas

The catchment area of ​​1512 km ² Vorderrheins includes that of the background Rhine ( including Albula and land water) with 1693 km ² is slightly bigger. The effluent in the aquatic parts of the precipitate ( field drains ) differ in the territory of the Rhine headwaters with each other only a little, so that reflect the sizes of the sub-basins in the nearly runoff and therefore need not be considered separately.

Summary

Overall, can be in the headwaters of the Rhine is no clear hierarchy of watercourses notice. The two main systems, the Anterior Rhine system in the west and the Rhine behind - the Albula - country water system in the south and east differ only slightly to muzzle distance, runoff and catchment area.

The top front Rhine area and the top land -water system, ie, the westernmost and the easternmost sub-system, the sources with the highest muzzle Far. The source of the hydrological main flow path would be according to the above, on the eastern edge, in the valley of Dischmabaches.