Barrier Measures Against Inundations
Detmold, Germany - The town of Detmold, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, faced a significant rainfall event on June 14th, reminiscent of a once-in-a-century downpour. However, thanks to the flood protection measures, retention areas, and the sponge city concept implemented in the city, the consequences were minimised.
Engineer Andreas Hoffmann, who designed and implemented the flood protection measures, declared the stress test as successful. The water diversion measures on the upper Mittelstraße at Rudolf-Harbig-Weg directed mud and water away from the fields, while at Mittelstraße 59, the water took the intended emergency waterway and caused no damage.
Locally, between 50 and 60 millimeters of precipitation were measured in just 15 minutes, which is double the rainfall of a comparable 100-year heavy rain event. Despite this, no buildup of water occurred at the newly set sheet pile wall near the Düren road, and the dams in the district of Klüt held during the event.
The flood protection measures in Klüt, which were tested for the first time, successfully prevented flooding for the third time after 2023 and 2024. The ditch dam systems above Mittelstraße held back the rainwater, and the combination of all measures - ditch dam systems, drainage, emergency waterways - delayed and released the rainwater without causing flooding.
Mayor Frank Hilker stated that the third statistically once-in-a-century heavy rain event within three years highlights the impact of climate change. He also mentioned that further expansion of the protective measures is planned in Klüt, including the emergency overflow channel on the Düren road, a ditch dam system with a retention basin on the Poststraße towards Ernst-Hilker-Ring/Jowat, and an upgrade of the cycle path towards "Son Vida".
Despite all precautionary measures, the fire brigade had several deployments in the north of the city on June 14th due to high-pressure groundwater or non-functioning backflow preventers in houses. Evaluations from the municipal measuring station in Klü̈t at the sports field show that two heavy rain showers fell over the town, exceeding a hundred-year rain event.
However, the results of the evaluation of the flood protection measures in Klüt were recently announced, demonstrating their ability to withstand a significant rainfall event. The protective measures also have a positive effect on the downstream Jerxen-Orbke. The flood protection measures in the Detmold district of Klüt have been shown to be effective in preventing damage from a hundred-year rain event.
Unfortunately, the search results do not provide specific information about which organisation is responsible for implementing flood protection measures in Klüt. Regardless, the success of these measures underscores the importance of investing in climate change adaptations to protect our communities from extreme weather events.
