Altmühl under fire: Ecological turn against climate chaos in Bavaria!

Altmühl under fire: Ecological turn against climate chaos in Bavaria!

In the past three decades, the Ansbach water management office has raised a lot of patience to develop the river landscape of the Altmühl. Today, June 12, 2025, it becomes clear how important such projects are for the ecological health of our waters. The Altmühl, which is considered the "slowest river in Bavaria", is the focus of action. An inadequate dynamics and structure are determined between Ornbau and Neunstetten, which has a negative impact on the quality of life of many water inhabitants.

High water temperatures in summer, due to the lack of bank trees, ensure that the habitat is severely impaired for fish and small life. To counteract these grievances, redesign measures are currently underway. These not only have their sights on the improvement of the water structure and quality, but also to combat algae flowers. Rushed nutrients and sediments enter the Altmühl via feeders and drainage trenches, which leads to these problematic algae flowers that not only affect water quality, but also endanger biodiversity.

ecological redesign measures

The water management office has set itself ambitious goals. Flat troughs are created to hold back water and suspended matter, and a former river loop is to be connected to the Altmühl again. This not only stabilizes the water balance, but also created new habitats for the diverse flora and fauna. Particular attention is paid to the small creatures, such as the larvae of insects, brown flea crabs and water snails, which play an important role in the natural balance. These little helpers shred down fall leaves, graze algae and contribute to the self-cleaning of the water, such as Environment NRW underlined.

Further measures include the introduction of dead wood and clay stage in order to increase the flow speed and also to promote the riverside station. These measures are not only a piece of the puzzle in the fight against the mastery of floods and dry phases, but also an attempt to counteract the warming through climate change.

first successes visible

But also the interaction of nature and human action already shows initial success. The specialist advice for fishing in Middle Franconia and the water management office will continue to keep an eye on the effectiveness of the redesign. At Haag, there are already positive changes in the fish species composition and the spectrum of species of small creatures. These developments are not only hope, but also an indicator of a good ecological state of the waters, as the work in North Rhine-Westphalia shows.

The Land Covering Process Altmühl IV is expected to be completed in the course of the year, which could accelerate the implementation of further measures. Let's be excited to see which face the Altmühl will show in the coming years. Fortunately, nature is tough, and with the right hand and commitment we can continue to have a positive impact on our water.

The future of this region and its water is actively designed. The Ansbach water management office has started the necessary steps. If we are further attentive and support the initiatives, Altmühl could soon become a first -class piece of home not only climate, but also for humans and nature.