Lakes in Austria dry up - lack of precipitation responsible for low water levels
Created: 08/09/2022 17:28
By: Victoria Krumbeck
The water level of the Anemonensee in Lower Austria is falling due to a lack of precipitation.
© Stephan Woldron/IMAGO
Heat causes extreme drought in Europe.
In Austria, lack of rain leads to dried up lakes.
Munich - The summer is hot and dry soil is one of the consequences.
Forest fires are still raging in Germany.
Forest fires are also spreading in southern Europe.
Lakes and rivers struggle with low water levels and create dangers.
The situation is no different in Austria.
More and more lakes are simply drying up due to the heat.
Lower Austria is currently particularly affected.
Some lakes are closed off, pools in baths remain partially empty.
Dry lakes in Lower Austria due to lack of precipitation
A lack of precipitation results in low groundwater levels.
The Fischauer thermal baths in Fischau-Brunn can no longer fill one of its large pools.
Two out of three sources have dried up, as the portal
wetter.at
reported.
Mayor Reinhard Knoblauch explained to APA that a geological report on the cause of the dried-up springs is already in progress.
Some lakes, such as in Wiener Neustadt, have almost dried up.
Pictures show how the former bathing lake has turned into a pond.
The water level dropped massively.
Some groundwater lakes such as Anemonensee, Föhrensee and Achtersee are up to seven meters lower than in 2009. "Since the summer of 2021, the level has dropped by around two meters", but in June there was a "slight relaxation" for the first time, shared the town hall at the request of
wetter.at
.
Low water levels also cause problems in Germany.
Dry lakes in Lower Austria - rainwater management as a solution
According to Martin Angelmaier, Head of the Water Management Department of the State of Lower Austria, the groundwater level in Lower Austria is currently very low, as the portal further reported.
The spring discharge had partially decreased.
The reason for this is the below-average rainfall in autumn 2021. Anglemaier sees the main reason for the low water levels in the lack of rainfall.
"We have to expect that there will be longer periods of drought and then a lot of rain within a short period of time," he said.
But such drastic precipitation does not solve the problem.
The soil cannot absorb large amounts of rain.
The water would flow into the waters.
It would take consistent and intense rainfall to solve the problem.
The water supply is divided differently in Lower Austria.
There is a high demand for water in the Weinviertel, but there is not enough.
The Limestone Alps area, on the other hand, has large reserves, but hardly needs them.
Supra-regional supply networks should create a balance.
Rainwater management should help against drought.
“Some communities are analyzing how they can hold more water in built-up areas.
Management can also be adjusted in the agricultural sector so that there is less erosion," as the news portal
OÖN
explained.
(vk)