On 30 May 2011, the Wasserstraßen-Neubauamt Berlin accepted the replacement construction of the Bahnitz weir (Untere-Havel waterway km 82.0 - districts of Havelland and Potsdam-Mittelmark) in a structurally and technically flawless quality and handed it over to the Brandenburg Waterways and Shipping Authority as operator.
The new weir is operated remotely by the Rathenow control centre at the WSA Brandenburg.
The old approx. 100 m wide weir system (built in 1910) at the Bahnitz barrage was dilapidated and was replaced with a modern two-span tube weir with a fish ladder and a barge lock (11.5 m x 2.70 m) for manual self-service operation at a cost of around € 4.2 million.
The Bahnitz weir (located between Pritzerbe and Premnitz) controls the water level in the Bahnitz Havel impoundment and therefore also on Lake Plauer See and in the Silokanal in Brandenburg/Havel. The construction of the new fish ladder is one of the most important compensatory and replacement measures in terms of nature conservation for construction projects on the waterway infrastructure in the region by the Berlin Waterways Construction Office.
In close coordination and cooperation with the responsible nature conservation and fisheries authorities of the state of Brandenburg, the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration has thus rendered outstanding services to establishing the continuity of the lower and middle Havel for fish fauna. Clear the way not only for large ships, but also for large fish in the Havel.
The new barge lock is expected to be open to traffic from 17 June 2011.
