"We have arrived in climate change": Ostersee has dried up - the future is uncertain

Created: 09/03/2022, 18:18

By: Johannes Thoma

Dried up: Lake Frechen © Douglas Sutton

The Frechensee is a popular excursion destination, but the idyll has been clouded over for some time: the waters belonging to the Osterseen have dried up.

Seeshaupt

– Douglas Sutton from Seeshaupt has been a regular walker at Frechensee for years.

"Even after the very hot and dry summer of 2018, the Frechensee seemed to have recovered well in May 2019," he writes in a statement.

But since then the water level has continued to drop.

In the summer of 2020 and 2021, more and more small islands appeared, Sutton said.

Even after the heavy rains of the past weekend, only a puddle of about four meters in diameter formed.

What also worries him: when taking walks by the lake, there is now a strange silence, the noise of the waterfowl has stopped.

Drinking water supply of the community not yet affected

The water management office, the municipality and the private owner have already discussed the problem.

There is no remedy in sight.

"What should we do, we can't water the lake with the fire hose?" says Seeshaupt Mayor Fritz Egold.

Many people have already asked him about it.

"We have arrived at climate change," says Egold.

A small lake in the neighboring gravel pit has also dried up, and a spring above the Lustsee has dried up.

In his opinion, the cause is the persistent drought and the last two winters with little snow.

He is not yet concerned about the drinking water supply of the municipality, which is located near the Frechensee.

"Our water master has not yet measured any lowering of the groundwater level".

September 1st, 2022: The Frechensee fills up again very slowly.

© Fritz Egold

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No above-ground inflow: No change in sight

This is also confirmed by the Water Management Office.

According to the authorities, the Frechensee, which is normally around three hectares in size, had almost dried up in 2018.

In contrast to the other Osterseen, which are connected via the Ach, the Frechensee, which lies southwest of Seeshaupt, has no surface inlet.

It is fed solely from precipitation and groundwater.

"In this dry year, it is therefore not surprising that the Frechensee has almost dried up," says Andreas Kolbinger from the Water Management Office.

The water level of the neighboring Großer Ostersee at the Blaue Gumpe is the second lowest since measurements began nine years ago.

"In general, the levels in most lakes have risen slightly due to the precipitation of the past few days, but this will only be short-lived.

A sweeping change is not in sight,” said Kolbinger.

Effects on the particular ecosystem

According to Egold, the water level in Lake Starnberg is currently around 75 centimeters lower than usual. That is why the pier in Bernried is no longer approached (we reported).

Egold can still remember when the Frechensee was completely dry for the last time more than 40 years ago.

The dehydration also has an impact on the ecosystem: It will probably take several years for the ecological balance of the water to be restored.

In the meantime, a strong development of pioneer species (plants or microorganisms that first settle in a certain area before others follow) can be expected in both fauna and flora, according to the water management office.

Some particularly rare and endangered species can even benefit from such events, Kolbinger writes in a press release.

While plants and algae can be expected to recover quickly, repopulation with fish is only possible very slowly, unless humans intervene.

The Frechensee is part of the "Osterseen" nature reserve.

In 1997 the Osterseen were reported to Brussels as a European bird sanctuary according to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive.

According to Wikipedia, the area is one of the three largest icefall landscapes in the Bavarian Alpine foothills.

You can find more current news from the Weilheim-Schongau district at Merkur.de/Weilheim.