Flood protection on the Arzbach is delayed

Created: 12/22/2021, 9:00 AM

From: Melina Staar

Protective walls are to be built along the Alpenbadstrasse.

Actually, this work should have been completed last year.

© Arndt Pröhl

Actually, it should have taken place in 2020, the flood protection measure on the Arzbach.

But nothing came of it, just like this year.

The water management office explains why - and is now planning the work for 2022.

Arzbach

- The residents of Arzbach are to be protected from a hundred-year flood. For this reason, some measures have already been carried out on the water. The most recent concerns the area along the Alpenbadstrasse. The plan is to build protective walls here. The dike is also to be raised. Actually, the work should have been completed last year. But relatively little has happened.

The reason is that the planning is more complex than originally thought.

"The limited space, the planning of traffic management and logistics during the construction project and the pandemic have meant that the services could not be provided as planned," explains Dora Schulze from the Water Management Authority (WWA).

According to a press release from WWA, the construction crews were not always fully operational due to the corona.

The tendering and awarding of the planning service also took longer, which is why the implementation planning was only available in November of this year, said Schulze.

Construction will start in late summer so as not to disrupt swimming pool operations

The construction work itself should be put out to tender and awarded in the spring, “so that we can expect construction of the walls to start in late summer at the latest”. In this context, the streets to the right and left of the Arzbach will be renewed and the bridge and footbridge will be raised. A handrail will be installed at the end of the walls, "this is necessary because of the fall protection," says Schulze. New ramps will be built on the pedestrian bridge above the swimming pool. Once the walls are finished, the dike along the southern tennis courts will be raised by the Lenggries river management site.

Many factors limit the time frame for the measures. In winter, construction work cannot begin due to the cold. Tenders and awards take place in spring. “In summer, the construction work can cause the stream to become cloudy, which is not acceptable for the swimming pool, which is fed with water from the Arzbach,” says Schulze. In the approval process, the WWA was obliged to take this usage into account. In addition, there will be a bypass with a temporary bridge over the Arzbach for the section below the swimming pool in order to guarantee access to the properties, the campsite and the holiday apartments. Out of consideration for this use, according to Schulze, the WWA does not want to carry out the work during the bathing season and main vacation time.Therefore, there is only a small window of time for the construction work.

Water management office: Measure should not become more expensive

The announcement by WWA last autumn that the measure would become more expensive because the work is now being advertised and not carried out by the river management department sparked discussions in the municipalities of Wackersberg and Lenggries.

Both communities pay a share.

Is another increase in price to be expected?

Since the most economical offer was awarded the tender, "we do not assume that the delay will lead to an increase in costs," says Schulze.

For the residents of Arzbach, waiting for the flood protection is still "annoying", as Mayor Jan Göhzold says. “There are things where nothing is moving forward and nobody can do anything about it.” Flood protection is urgently needed. “This year you saw what can happen in Germany,” says Göhzold. But regardless of which company you are currently inquiring with, there are long waiting times in all areas. “But at some point it has to be done.” However, the mayor is satisfied with the planned diversion over the temporary bridge. “The variant that was initially considered via the campsite would have been quite difficult.” So it is now the “nicest solution”. According to Dora Schulze, the water management authority will inform the public in good time about the closure and diversion.

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