Water level in Lake Constance at record low "The entire operating area is currently not manageable"

The level of Lake Constance has fallen to an all-time low - with consequences for shipyards, water birds and boating. Particularly affected: the region around Untersee. blue News talks to those affected.

The water level in Lake Constance has never been as low as it is now in the last 30 years. This poses challenges not only for boaters. Ports, shipyards and wildlife are suffering from the loss of water. blue News talks to those affected.

The sun is shining this morning in Arbon TG. The weather forecast predicts sunny and above all dry weather - for the next week. Normally, people would be looking forward to sunshine. Especially the coopers. But this year they are hoping for rain. And a lot of rain. Because the current water level is 2.72 meters below normal.

Harbour master is waiting for rain - lots of rain

The harbour master in Arbon says: "Out of 600 boat spaces, 20 boats can't go out onto the lake." This is not yet a drama, but Arbon is lucky. The harbor basin is deep enough. The situation is very different on Untersee. "The boats and ships are on the bottom there. The water is practically gone," says the harbor master to blue News.

Harbour staff throughout the region are hoping for rain. "It should rain, especially in the mountains, so that the snow melts and flows through the Rhine into the lake," explains the harbour master in Arbon. He continues: "If it warms up too quickly or the sun shines, the snow doesn't melt but evaporates." That is a problem.

Wildlife is also in danger. The harbour master says: "The swans are now nesting on the shore. But this will rise again at some point and wash away the nests and their young." Fishing supervision is also required. "In some places, pools can form where fish lose their connection to the lake," says the harbour master. However, these are checked by the fishery supervisor and then rescued if necessary.

The situation in Romanshorn is less precarious

Rolf Müller, Head of Communications for the town of Romanshorn, gives the all-clear: "In the town's municipal harbor, where private sailing and motor boats are moored, the situation is mostly unproblematic. If the drought persists and the water level continues to fall, this could affect the launching of the boats."

Apart from a few exceptions, this has not been the case so far.

Commercial vessels can still sail

A spokeswoman for Schweizerische Bodensee-Schifffahrt AG explains the situation for commercial vessels: "We are currently experiencing rather low water levels. Nevertheless, there are no restrictions on shipping operations - neither on our ferry nor on the scheduled boats."

Although the current situation makes it difficult to sail on the Old Rhine inland canal, this service will not start until the end of May. "We are therefore confident that the water level will develop accordingly by then," she tells blue News.

She continues: "The current low water situation is primarily affecting shipping in the Untersee." To put this into perspective: in February 2006, the water level was 2.28 m, which is significantly lower than at present.

The shipyards are the hardest hit

Those who are struggling most with the low water level are the shipyards in the region. Rolf Baumann is the managing director of the Nasbo shipyard in Altnau TG. He and his employees are unable to work due to the low water level: "We can't work at precisely the time when we should be working overtime and the season is starting."

It is a state of emergency and you have to hope for rain now. "Customers are calling me every day to ask if they can take their boat out onto the lake now." Baumann has to disappoint everyone. It's simply not possible. The only way out is the harbor, which has a deep harbor basin. But space is limited there.

You can see how Roland Baumann copes with the situation and what bothers him the most in the video above.