Steinlach

Steinlach source in the corner Bachgraben

The Steinlach is about 25 km long right tributary of the Neckar river with a catchment area of 138 km ².

Geography

Course and tributaries

The Steinlach rises in the corner Bachgraben, one between five and ten meter deep gorge below the eave edge of the Swabian Alb west of Ruchberges near the Mössinger district Talheim to about 700 m above sea level. NN. The source outlet is shifting with the karst water level of the Swabian Alb. The Steinlach is amplified by the confluence with pond stream creek and cheeks and takes one kilometer east of the Mossingen Öschenbach on. It flows through the location named after her, in Albvorland Steinlachtal and the resort Talheim, the city Mossingen and the communities Novalis, Nehren, Dußlingen and the Tübingen district Derendingen. In the city center of Tübingen it opens to 317.5 m above sea level. NN right side into the Neckar. Other major tributaries are the Öhrnbach which opens on the left side on the southern edge of Novalis, the Wiesaz, the right-hand side leads to the powder mill, two kilometers north of Dußlingen to Steinlach, and the coming of Ohmenhausen and also on the right opens out on Bläsibad Ehrenbach.

Catchment area

The Steinlach drained 141.8 km ² on the escarpment to Mossingen and Gomaringen and Albvorland north to the river Neckar.

Geology

By headward erosion of the Steinlach has contributed to the emergence of the Swabian cuesta landscape. On their way into the Neckar valley it intersects all strata from the White Jura and reed sandstone, a formation of the Keuper, at. At morphologically hard rock strata occur waterfalls, for example, on the Lower Mill at Mossingen and northeast of Novalis near the sawmill. In Mossingen it cuts through several meters thick periglacial Kalkschotterdecken, which probably led to the formation of names Steinlach. Constricted Alber oak are found particularly in Mössinger urban area and north of the powder mill. The Steinlach flowed in a curved run the Mössinger gravel plain and tiefte later in the underlying layers of the Black Jura. On the powder mill has cut the layer package of office sandstone, where it extends, however, already in a wide Sohlenkerbtal. At its mouth it has formed a sweeping gravel fan which caused the displacement of the Neckar river running north and were built on the parts of today Tübingen Southtown. The deposition of this estuary led to a slowdown speed and to replenish the Sohlenkerbtals to Dußlingen. In the Novalis Steinlach flows on the incident light to the southeast Arietenkalkbank, a fossil-rich layer of the Black Jura, Lias Alpha. A portion of the streambed between Schiller and Uhland Street road was provided as a geological natural monument Ofterdinger worm patch under protection because there Arietites are particularly large stone cores of the eponymous ammonite buck landi at the surface. The entry of the Steinlach in the layers of the Lias Alpha at Novalis caused by the deflection of the barrel to the northeast, and let the waterfall below the town arise.

Importance for the colonization

Due to the humid climate with abundant precipitation distributed over the year and the related almost constant water dispensing area, it came along the Steinlach to many old Germanic villages and towns ( Mossingen, Novalis, Dußlingen ). The Germanic tribes Bauer used the Steinlach for drinking and domestic water purposes and as a receiving water for their wastewater. The permanent water supply of Steinlach and the presence of sections with steep gradients led to the early settlement of mills ( Upper Mill, Lower Mill, Nehrener mill, and others) and the beginning of the industrialization of industries with high water and energy needs (z. example, textile mills, and later chemical industry). Water abstraction and discharge of waste water had a strong impact on the water regime of Steinlach and on their water quality. The natural course of Steinlach was impaired sustained by Bach straightening between Dußlingen and Tübingen. This had become necessary for the protection of roads in the Steinlachtal and the Tübingen Southtown before Steinlach floods. The flood defense also served the concreting of Steinlach bed within Ofterdingen that has already been carried out in the 1970s. At the same time, the mechanical-biological sewage treatment plants of the wastewater association, the Steinlach neighboring communities south of Derendingen was built as well as numerous stormwater retention basins. The water quality of Steinlach could be improved by flood peaks could be smoothed. However, the water dispensing the Steinlach decreased, which pays dividends particularly during dry periods has a negative effect on the water regime of the stream. The water extraction, for example, to supply water for gardens, then mostly officially prohibited.

Vegetation

Characteristic of the Steinlach are planted on their shores tree rows of the same age, usually 30 meters high Canadian poplars (Populus X canadensis). They originate mainly from the 1910 planted poplar at Eckhof at Dußlingen and served his time for bank stabilization of Steinlach. They shape especially in autumn the landscape of Steinlachtals when their leaves discolored golden. On either side of the straightened Steinlach in Derendingen also maple tree rows were created. However, Semi-natural alder-ash or willow Bachauenwälder galleries are only in fragments on the Steinlach. Example is the maple, ash ravine forest on the steep slopes of the sink stream trench in the source area of the Steinlach. The Perennial (Lunaria rediviva ), a typical ravine forests of Central Europe perennial that forms in this ravine forest a dark -violet Blühaspekt in early spring.

Conservation

The so-called worm patches in the stream bed of Steinlach in Novalis is a protected geological monument of nature since several decades. The Steinlach Waterfall at Novalis and his environment are since 2010 a natural monument.

Flood levels

Historic water marks are for the level of Tübingen, just before the confluence with the Neckar on June 23, 1975 ( 2.75 m ), June 10, 1980 ( 2.58 m ) and from 11 August 2002 ( 2.33 m ) mentioned.

Others

The venue of the TSV Novalis called due to their location in the floodplain of the Steinlach Steinlach Stadium. The drawing by Eduard von Kallee shows that the Steinlach already served as a motive for artistic representations early.

More images

Steinlach in Novalis, shortly before the beginning of the worm patch.

Steinlach in Novalis with worm patch.

Steinlach flood in Tübingen, Summer 1985