The current drought is causing the level of all Bavarian water bodies to drop.
The Sylvenstein reservoir for the Isar, on the other hand, is still well stocked.
Munich/Weilheim/Passau – The farmer Max Keil has known the Gröbenbach, which flows from Germering to Dachau and there into the Amper, since childhood.
But he has never seen the stream dry up completely.
Now it is time.
"The Kneipp facility is just a puddle," he says.
The source at the nearby Parsberg has dried up.
"There's no more supplies." Further down, in Puchheim, resident Ursula Schuler-Kokkas sounded the alarm: with neighbor Sonja Freinecker, she hurriedly collected fish from the stream.
Dozens wriggled in the mud, many had already died.
Bavaria is drying up.
That may be worded too dramatically - but the water levels in the watercourses are actually declining visibly.
Especially in smaller streams there is a risk of drought and fish kills.
Drought in Bavaria: Critical water levels, especially in southern Bavaria
The low water report from the State Office for the Environment, in which the daily water levels of the rivers are listed, shows the situation.
Almost all rivers in southern Bavaria have "low" or even "very low" water levels.
Nevertheless, Korbinian Zanker from the Weilheim Water Management Office does not want to dramatize.
The Partnach, for example, measures 44 centimeters at the Partenkirchen gauge and carries 2.7 cubic meters of water per second.
That is “between medium and low water levels”.
It is similar on the Loisach, at Eschenlohe the discharges are "below average", but still above an average summer low water level.
On the upper Isar in Mittenwald, the discharge has dropped to 10.9 cubic meters per second - the average is 16.9.
The Sylvenstein reservoir, which is crucial for the water level of the Isar up to Munich, is well filled.
The low-water reserve is "still 100 percent" available, emphasizes Zanker.
However, more water is currently flowing out below than is being added at the top.
Currently, 14 cubic meters per second are draining, from today this amount will be increased by a further two cubic meters to 16.
That is "rather high".
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On the Danube, like here near Straubing, large gravel peninsulas have already formed.
© picture alliance/dpa/Armin Weigel
The smaller streams and rivers are only a trickle.
The Würm led on Wednesday only 2.7 cubic meters per second - half of the usual.
Rott, Maisach, Glonn and Isen are also classified as "very low".
Streams, on the other hand, are mostly classified as so-called "waters of the 3rd order", there are no level measurements there, monitoring is hardly possible, but the situation should - see Gröbenbach - be dramatic.
Too little rainfall as the main reason for dried up rivers
One reason for the development is the low groundwater levels.
They usually recover in winter.
"However, the precipitation balance for the past winter half-year 2021/22 was again too dry, especially in southern Bavaria," reports the State Office for the Environment.
"After the months of May and June, which were too dry, the proportion of low groundwater measuring points in Bavaria has increased to currently around 60 percent." In addition, of course, there is the current drought.
It won't rain
A passing cold front temporarily brings slightly cooler temperatures to Bavaria, reports the German Weather Service (DWD).
According to the forecast, 20 to 25 degrees will be reached in most regions.
The peak values are therefore a maximum of 27 degrees in the Regensburg area and on the Danube and 26 degrees in Munich.
Saturday will probably be similar, on Sunday up to 28 degrees are possible again.
"The weekend will also be consistently dry, there will be a lot of sun, a real summer weekend," said the weather expert.
"The drought also remains." Because of the high risk of forest fires, the governments of Upper Bavaria and Lower Bavaria had already
arranged observation flights.
"Forests on light, sandy locations with little vegetation, sunny forest clearings and forest edges are particularly at risk," said Upper Bavaria.
Bavaria's dry rivers also pose a danger to tourism and freight traffic
Anyone who is out and about on the big rivers will increasingly see gravel banks, which are becoming visible due to the falling water level.
The Inn near Wasserburg, for example, is classified as "low".
On the Danube between Straubing and Vilshofen, if the water levels continue to fall, hotel ships will soon no longer be able to pass through, says Hans Kerber from the Danube Waterways and Shipping Office.
River cruise ships with a large draft already have problems.
In the case of freight ships, the draft can be controlled by the weight of the cargo, but of course this is not possible with cruise ships.
"A section of the route that is not passable can be bridged with buses," says Kerber.
But is that still so attractive for passengers?
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Because of the low water levels, river cruises are expecting problems.
Here the "Viking Var" in Passau.
© picture alliance/dpa/Tobias Koehler
The authorities are largely powerless in the face of the development - apart from water saving appeals, there has not been much so far.
In the district of Hof and in the city of Bayreuth, however, it was forbidden to tap water from the rivers - for example to irrigate the gardens.
