Project Description
The river system of Dove and Gose Elbe, Germany, located in the southeastern part of the City of Hamburg, formerly part of the inland delta of the Elbe river with marsh characteristics, is nowadays protected by flood protection measures from the tide influenced Elbe estuary.
This river system is a part of the complex drainage system of the area Vier- und Marschlande, which also includes the river Bille and the surface waters of Schleusengraben as well as the Old and New Brookwetterung (Drainagesystem) in addition to the Dove and Gose Elbe catchment areas.
The two main rivers of the system – Dove and Gose Elbe – are branches of the Elbe River that have been hydraulically decoupled from Elbe River by dikes and sluices. In order to regulate the water levels within the drainage area, a highly complex monitoring and control system consisting of three main rivers, other smaller rivers, numerous ditches, pumps and water management facilities, has been developed over time.
- Floods (affecting mainly settlement areas and agriculture) due to the combination of:
- High water levels in the Elbe River over a longer period (several days) due to wind from western directions.
- High discharges within the river system Dove/Gose Elbe and its tributaries (Bille) due to continuous rainfall over a longer period (several days)
- Droughts (affecting mainly agriculture, water extraction, biodiversity, locking operation for shipping purposes) from low water levels due to the combination of:
- Low water levels in the Elbe River over a longer period (several weeks) due to i) low inland runoff and ii) wind from eastern directions.
- Low discharges within the river system Dove/Gose Elbe and its tributaries (Bille) due to long droughts (several weeks)
- Floods (affecting mainly settlement areas and agriculture) due to the combination of:
- High water levels in the Elbe River over a longer period (several days) due to wind from western directions.
- High discharges within the river system Dove/Gose Elbe and its tributaries (Bille) due to continuous rainfall over a longer period (several days)
- Droughts (affecting mainly agriculture, water extraction, biodiversity, locking operation for shipping purposes) from low water levels due to the combination of:
- Low water levels in the Elbe River over a longer period (several weeks) due to i) low inland runoff and ii) wind from eastern directions.
- Low discharges within the river system Dove/Gose Elbe and its tributaries (Bille) due to long droughts (several weeks)