Flood protection in Stadtlohn

The Berkel, a tributary of the IJssel, flows through the urban area of Stadtlohn for around 9 kilometres. Floods in the Berkel frequently cause flooding in residential areas in the urban area. To improve flood protection and implement measures in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive, the town of Stadtlohn has therefore had a flood protection concept drawn up, which is currently being implemented.

This concept includes technical flood protection measures such as flood protection dykes and walls, the creation of ecological continuity through the construction of a new fish ladder, profile widening in the city centre area, the creation of retention areas below and above the city centre, measures for the ecological improvement of the watercourse and floodplain as well as measures for urban drainage adapted to the new flood protection. In the city centre area, the existing weir system from 1946 is also to be dismantled and a new system built.

The foundation work for the new weir system is currently being carried out using bored piles in the marl. For this work, the course of the river Berkel was blocked off upstream with the help of a cofferdam and the work area was thus drained. During the construction work, the Berkel itself flows through a bypass channel, which will subsequently be converted into a fish ladder. This is a sequence of rising water basins that will allow fish and amphibians to bypass the barrier structure during their migrations. The pools have been adapted to the animals native to the Berkel in terms of their size and bed formation.

TABERG Ingenieure GmbH has been supporting this project as a soil expert and health and safety coordinator in planning and execution since 2018.

Floods in the Berkel river frequently occur in the Stadtlohn urban area. To improve flood protection and implement the EU Water Framework Directive, the town of Stadtlohn has therefore had a flood protection concept drawn up, which is currently being implemented.

This concept includes technical flood protection measures such as flood protection dykes and walls, the creation of ecological continuity through the construction of a new fish ladder, profile widening in the city centre area, the creation of retention areas below and above the city centre, measures for the ecological improvement of the watercourse and floodplain as well as urban drainage measures that are adapted to the new flood protection. In the city centre area, the existing weir system is also to be dismantled and a new system constructed.

TABERG Ingenieure GmbH has been supporting this measure as a soil expert and health and safety coordinator in the planning and execution since 2018. The foundation work for the new weir system is currently underway. The Berkel itself is already flowing in its temporary bed, which will later be converted into a fish ladder, allowing fish and amphibians to swim around the weir.