Preventative measures for flood management

North of Klüt Faces Challenges Amidst Heavy Rain and High Groundwater Pressure

On a stormy day on June 14th, Klüt, a city in Germany, experienced two heavy rain showers, with locally up to 60 millimeters of rain falling in just 15 minutes. This rainfall, described by Mayor Frank Hilker as a third statistically once-in-a-century heavy rain within three years, has raised concerns about the impact of climate change.

Despite the flood protection measures in place, the city's fire department was called to multiple incidents in the north of the city due to issues related to backflow preventers and high groundwater pressure. The incidents were not a result of the flood protection measures, nor were they a part of a planned stress test.

At Mittelstraße 59, the water took the designated emergency waterway during the storm, causing no damage. Elsewhere, some houses in the north of the city had non-functional backflow preventers, necessitating interventions by the fire department.

The flood protection measures in Klüt, however, did prevent further damage during the storm. Engineer Andreas Hoffmann, who designed and implemented the flood protection measures, summarized the June 14th storm as a successful stress test. The combination of all flood protection measures in Klüt gradually released the rainwater into the Klüter Bach without causing floods.

The trench dam systems above Mittelstraße retained the rainwater, while water diversion measures on the upper Mittelstraße at Rudolf-Harbig-Weg directed mud and water away from fields and streets. The flood protection measures in the Detmold district of Klüt, which were successfully tested, are crucial for the security of the city's residents, as stated by Mayor Frank Hilker.

It's worth noting that the flood protection measures in Klüt were not responsible for the incidents handled by the fire department in the north of the city. The high groundwater pressure was a factor in these incidents, not the heavy rainfall or the storm that occurred on that day.

The storm on June 14th was not limited to Klüt. It swept across large parts of the country, including the city of Detmold. Despite the challenges faced by the fire department and the pressure on the city's infrastructure, Klüt's flood protection measures proved effective in managing the situation.