Kaub: - 2

©Wikipedia/Marion Halft

Today, the water level gauge in Kaub couldn't handle a negative value. At - 2 cm, the navigation channel on the Rhine River is a mere 111 cm deep.

The classic water level gauge jutted out as a “writing above the water” (©SWR)

After standing at four centimeters last Friday, the gauge level had already dropped to minus one centimeter by Saturday afternoon. This is a dramatic change from the gauge level of 24 cm I reported on August 5.

©SWR

At this new historic low, the Kaub Rhine ferry service, already suspended for ten days earlier this summer, once again came to a standstill, since it requires a minimum gauge level of 15 centimeters to operate regularly.

It is unclear when service can resume; substantial rainfall is not in sight. Today in Freiburg, it was 30 °C, with rain showers expected and a temperature drop announced for the coming Thursday.

Construction materials must be expensively transported by rail or road (©SWR)

Economists at the German Economic Institute estimate the overall economic damage from logistical shifts, production cutbacks, and lost cargo during the months-long low-water period is already at 18 billion euros.

According to experts, it all began with the extremely dry and hot summer of 2018. Some shipping companies never recovered after the resulting extreme drought. It was a wake-up call, but as usual, nobody listened.

The water problem starts in the Alps, where winters bring little snowfall. Also, higher temperatures mean less snow remains on the ground in the low mountain ranges. Normally, this snowpack acts as a temporary reservoir: it melts slowly over weeks, and the water seeps continuously into the ground, replenishing groundwater and flowing into rivers. Everywhere snow is missing as a silent water reservoir.

A worldwide challenge. The same story at Park City Mountain Resort (©WaPo)

The Rhine River has another water source: melting glaciers in the Alps. Enno Nilson of the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) says, “For now, glacial melt is still masking the effects of low water levels: During hot spells, up to one-fifth of the Rhine’s water comes from the glaciers, while normally, it’s only a small single-digit percentage.”

But we all know that this buffer is disappearing along with the glaciers. Climate change thus only temporarily offsets a problem that it causes elsewhere. This does not bode well for navigation on the Rhine River. Climate models show that in the second half of the century, low-water periods are likely to become even longer and more pronounced. With every additional year of drought, transport on Germany’s waterways becomes more uncertain and more expensive.

The mighty Colorado River suffers from lack of water too (©WaPo)

Authorities and companies are working to adapt shipping to low water levels. Low-water vessels are one way to adapt, and on the Middle Rhine, the federal government plans to ease the Kaub bottlenecks by dredging the riverbed and deepening the navigation channel. But that won’t make much difference if there is even less water to begin with.

October, often praised as the "golden month," is known for its low rainfall. Therefore, it is likely that the water level at Kaub will drop even further. 

Will the Rhine River eventually dwindle to a trickle or even dry up completely, and will weeping help?

Oh, tears are salt water.

**