The Greifswald barrage has been in operation since today
The barrage, which was built at the mouth of the Ryck River in the Greifswalder Bodden, was put into operation today. It is intended to protect the city center of Greifswald and the surrounding areas from flooding in the future. For sailors, this may result in impairments - the port of the Wieck district, which is located directly at the mouth, can no longer be approached by boats when the barrage closes. There are no comparable berths on the lake side.
Five years have passed since construction work on the barrage began. According to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Ministry of the Environment, it is "the most extensive and technically demanding coastal protection project in the state to date". The realization of the project cost 32 million euros and thus four million euros more than planned. In the future, the barrage will withstand the water up to a height of 3.05 meters above sea level during storm surges.
Except for trial purposes, the barrage will probably only be used around once a year
Greifswald is more threatened by floods than any other city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Especially when the water is pushed into the bay when the wind is blowing from the northeast, the Danish Wiek could quickly flood. The most devastating storm surge hit the city in 1872 with a water level of 2.64 meters above sea level - at that time Wieck was almost completely destroyed.
Except for trial purposes, however, the barrage will only be closed in the future when water levels above 1.15 meters above sea level are expected, which is only the case on average once a year. If the forecast announces an even stronger rise, the gate will be locked at a water level of around 0.75 meters above sea level. Sailors can find out about current reports on the barrage's website and then have to switch to surrounding harbors if necessary.
With the inauguration of the barrage, new regulations have also arisen for the Hanseyachts shipyard. Since the passage depth determined by the Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) Stralsund is only 2.80 meters due to the silting up of the Ryck, larger new buildings by the yacht manufacturer may only pass the river with a special permit. The sailing training ship "Greif" is even more directly affected. With a draft of 3.60 meters, it will no longer be able to reliably reach its home port from now on, said the WSmit.
Originally, a passage depth of just under four meters was planned for the barrage. However, this was significantly reduced by flushing nozzles that were installed on the floor and are intended to prevent the deposition of sediments. The city of Greifswald is therefore now planning to build a new berth for the "Greif" on the sea side of the barrage.