The local water bureau reported Tuesday that the water level at the western end of Lake Constance was extremely low due to the ongoing drought, and the port of Mannanbach on Lower Lake Constance was completely dry.
The lake is located where Germany, Switzerland and Austria meet.
The water level in Mannenbach on April 1 was about 12 kilometers west of the city of Konstanz, almost no more than the historical lowest level on April 1, 1972 and far below the long-term average.
Low rainfall and low snow melt in the Alps. There is less snowfall in the mountainous areas of the Rhine catchment area than usual.
The outlook is still very poor. Philemon Diggelmann, head of regional hydrology department, said that stable high-pressure systems are not expected to increase significantly in snow melting. This level will drop further in the next 10 days.
The water level on the upper lake is also very low, but not as low as the water level on the lake. According to Diggelmann, the reason is not clear. He believes that algae growth may slow down flow through Seerhein, which is associated with the upper and lower lakes.
