Despite the heavy rainfall in recent days, water shortages are starting to become a recurring factor in inland navigation. It is mainly free-flowing, unregulated waters that are affected. However, the development is now also having consequences for Germany's most popular inland water sports area: the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Water shortage becomes a problem
More specifically, we are talking about the Kleinseenplatte, which is important for charter tourism, the Havel-Oder and Obere-Havel waterways and the Rheinsberg and Lychen waterways that branch off from them. The so-called charter licence regulation applies on all of these waterways, meaning that pleasure craft can be hired and sailed for the duration of the holiday without an official licence.
In 2023, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Berlin and the federal government had already signed a cooperation agreement on the "River basin management in the Upper Havel catchment area" to better counteract water shortages in the increasingly warmer and drier summers.
Draught of 1.40 metres so far
Until now, the Müritz-Havel waterway, Upper Havel waterway and Rheinsberg waters, whose network forms the core of the Kleinseenplatte, were navigable throughout with a draught of up to 1.40 metres. On the Lychener waters, the draught was 1.20 metres. All in all, this is also sufficient for larger pleasure craft, such as the steel displacement boats widely used for chartering.
These values have now been reduced by the responsible Oder-Havel Waterways and Shipping Authority - in some cases considerably. In an area where 10 or 20 centimetres more or less can make all the difference to navigability, the lack of water represents a significant change.
Müritz-Havel Waterway
In a series of notices to skippers (NfB) this month, the WSA drew attention to the changes. They will initially apply until summer 2027. On the Müritz-Havel waterway the reduced value of 1.30 metres instead of 1.40 metres of available depth now applies in sections.
Upper Havel and tributaries
On the Upper Havel Waterway, there are even fewer in some areas, between Wesenberg and Neustrelitz only 1.00 metres, on the section with more traffic between Priepert and Bredereiche also 1.30 metres instead of 1.40 metres.
A lack of water is also causing changes in the tributaries: The journey on the Rheinsberg waters to Rheinberg is now only possible up to a draught of 1.00 metres, previously it was 1.40 metres. The same applies for the waters of Lychenhere, too, the new maximum value is 1.00 metres, compared with 1.20 metres previously.
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel
