Water avalanche in Wahnsdorf: This is how the city wants to prevent flooding!

Water avalanche in Wahnsdorf: This is how the city wants to prevent flooding!

Radebeul.In August 2020, the region experienced a natural disaster that will go down in the history books! A massive thunderstorm turned the idyllic hiking trails in Rieselgrund into an avalanche of water. Stones and asphalt slabs weighing hundreds of pounds had no chance against the huge masses of water that swept everything away. The destruction was devastating: Eggersweg was heavily washed out, and the walls of the vineyard terraces in the Goldener Wagen collapsed. The memories of this disaster are still fresh, and the Radebeul city administration is determined to prevent a repeat!

The damage from back then has largely been repaired, but the danger remains! Engineers have discovered that rainwater in Wahnsdorf has difficulty seeping away due to a massive rocky subsoil. André Kreller from the engineering firm ACI carried out a comprehensive investigation and identified ten catchment areas that could lead to dangerous water runoff during heavy rain. An area of ​​36 hectares, which extends to Rieselgrund, is particularly affected. “The water is concentrated in the trickle bottom,” warns Kreller and calls for urgent measures to create rain retention areas.

Create rain retention areas in the Rieselgrund

Civil engineering department manager Oliver Lange has already made plans! A wall at the edge of the field could help tame the water masses. Trees and hedges are intended to dampen the speed of the water before it flows into the trickle bed. In addition, the old quarry will be reactivated as a storage space for water, which was filled with mud in the last flood. “We have to get the mess out again,” explains Lange. The city administration plans to invest around 600,000 euros in flood protection and start work next year.

Discharge permit is missing

But it's not just the Rieselgrund that needs attention! There are legal problems with the drainage of rainwater in the village center of Altwahnsdorf. The village pond drains precipitation into the Wahnsdorfer Bach, but there is no water permit! The city administration has set itself the goal of obtaining this approval and at the same time pushing forward the planning for road construction in Altwahnsdorf. The clock is ticking and time is running out to protect the region from further natural disasters!