Forggensee reaches Stauziel: Shipping starts after Wetterglück!

Forggensee reaches Stauziel: Shipping starts after Wetterglück!

Forggensee, Deutschland - The Forggensee, as the largest reservoir in Germany, reached his desired traffic jam on June 1, 2025. Despite the low rainfall and the challenges associated with it, the energy company Uniper managed to stabilize the water level in good time. In winter there was too little snow and spring did not bring the necessary amounts of rain, which contributed to a long low water level. Thanks to the current rainfall, however, the point landing could be reached, a spokesman for Uniper.

The management of Lake Forggensee has a long history. It was dammed up in 1954 as a head memory for hydropower plants and serves not only electricity production, but also for flood protection for the regions below. The decision to shipping was unmistakable: the start of the season, originally planned for June 1, had to be postponed due to the low water level. Now shipping should start again from June 4th.

hydropower and flood protection

The Forggensee is drained down during the winter months to cover the electricity requirement, and replenished until June 1st. This happens not only for energy generation, but also for preventive coping with floods. After the flood events in the past, such as the Pentecostal water in 1999, measures were taken to improve storage management. This includes increasing the delivery capacity of the Roßhaupten power plant and the introduction of a flood forecast center.

With a retention volume of 15 million cubic meters and a storage capacity of 166 million cubic meters, the Forggensee plays a central role in the region's flood protection strategy. In terms of sustainable energy use, hydropower offers significant advantages, as it uses the movement and potential energies of water to generate electricity. The Forggensee and its power plants are part of a network, which annually provides significant amounts of electricity, around 150 million kilowatt hours.

ecological challenges

However, the use of hydropower also brings challenges. It is known that the detour and storage of water can significantly influence water ecology. Among other things, biological continuity for hiking fish is interrupted, which can lead to a loss of biodiversity. The Federal Environment Agency therefore calls for modernized use of hydropower use in order to reduce environmental impacts and to implement fish on and off and offset aids.

Overall, the Forggensee shows itself as a multifunctional reservoir, which serves both for energy generation and flood protection. Nevertheless, it remains essential to take into account the ecological aspects of water use in order to find the most sustainable solutions for the region. Water management offices work together to master the challenges and to promote the use of hydropower with nature.

For more information about the possibilities and challenges of hydropower use, it is worth taking a look at the comprehensive reports of Environmental Bundesamt .