- Mud contaminated in fracking - New storm warning
The storm surge has left behind a lot of contaminated mud in Bruchsal, according to city officials. Mayor Andreas Glaser said that disposal is currently not possible because the water in the mud must not enter the groundwater. After the heavy storms on Tuesday evening in North Baden, the emergency services are now working around the clock to clear the area.
New Severe Weather Warning
Meanwhile, all of Baden-Württemberg must brace itself again for severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued a new severe weather warning for the entire southwest.**
Until midnight, there is a local risk of heavy rain with amounts up to 50 liters per square meter within an hour, hail with grain sizes up to three centimeters, and heavy gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour. Local flooding and significant traffic disruptions are to be expected. It is not possible to predict exactly where it will be critical.**
Contaminated Mud Must Dry First
The contaminated mud must first dry before it can be sampled, according to Glaser. "That will take a few days," he said. No information can yet be given on the extent of the damage and the amount of mud. The city has prepared settling ponds for citizens to shovel the mud into. A mud dumping site has also been set up.**
In addition, parts of the most heavily affected city districts still have no power. "Basements are still flooded on a large scale," said an employee of the municipal utilities. In parts of the city center, power has been turned off as a result. Power supply should be restored by evening.**
Unusually Large Amounts of Water
According to the flood center, the river Saale reached its highest level of over 2.13 meters at the Bruchsal gauge around 2:30 a.m., just above the level for a so-called 100-year flood of 2.10 meters. The old town of the district of Heidelsheim was flooded, and there were also floods in the city center of Bruchsal, according to the fire department. However, water levels dropped again overnight.**
A spokesperson for the German Weather Service (DWD) reported that between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., 91 liters of rain per square meter fell in the Bruchsal area. "That's one of the highest values measured in Baden-Württemberg," he said. This is already unusual.**
On Tuesday, 36.3 degrees was measured in Waghaeusel-Kirrlach in the Karlsruhe district, the second-highest value nationwide, according to preliminary DWD data. Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate topped the list with 36.5 degrees. Thus, Tuesday was the warmest day of the year so far, according to preliminary data.**
Mayor Calls It a 'Super Disaster'
In Gondelsheim, people were reportedly trapped in their cars by floodwater overnight, according to police. The German Life Saving Association (DLRG) rescued numerous people from houses and cars. "Everything with a siren is out today," said incident commander Timo Imhof.**
"We've never seen anything like this. It was a super disaster," said Mayor Markus Rupp. Cleanup efforts in the municipality, which is about 15 kilometers west of Karlsruhe, are expected to continue until at least mid-next week. In Linkenheim-Hochstetten, a lightning strike set the roof of a multi-family house on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames.**
Keep an Eye on Water Levels
According to the flood forecast center, due to locally intense heavy rain, significant water level increases are possible in affected streams and small rivers until Thursday night.
In built-up areas, heavy rainfall may cause local sewer overloads and rapid flooding of streets, basements, underpasses, and underground garages in individual cases. Flooding of roads is also possible outside of these areas.
Given the upcoming severe weather warning, it's important to monitor the Weather closely.
The drying process of the contaminated mud is heavilydependent on the Weather conditions.
