Lelystad (ANP) – The floodplains of major rivers will not be inundated next week if heavy rains from Switzerland reach the Netherlands via the Rhine. The Rhine reaches an unusually high level for the month of September in Lopeth, but there are no floodplains or high waters, according to water managers in the Rijkswätterstatt.
Water managers expect the Rhine to peak discharge of 2,500 cubic meters per second on Monday. And it can be a little higher and reach 2800 cubic meters per second. The water level of the Rhine in Lobeth is about 10 meters above the NAP. This is much lower than the high water level. Only at an altitude of 15 meters above the NAP will there be a rise in water, for which measures will have to be taken. The floodplain will only be inundated at approximately 11.50m above the NAP at Lobeth.
The water level in major rivers usually decreases precisely in September, at the end of summer. In the past very dry years, the river water was low and there were problems with the water table. And at Christmas last year, the Rhine drained only 1,200 cubic meters of water per second.
In Switzerland, rivers overflowed their banks due to heavy rains. But this amount of water diminishes as the Rhine flows towards the Netherlands. This is because the amount of water first flows through Lake Constance on the border between Switzerland and Germany, where much of the summit has already begun to drain. The tributaries in Germany are in summer mode and carry little water to the Rhine. Severe weather in Switzerland has no effect on the water level in the Meuse River.
