Lake Constance water levels extremely low

Water levels at the western end of Lake Constance are extremely low as a result of persistent drought, with the harbour at Mannenbach on Lower Lake Constance completely dry, the local water authority reported on Tuesday.

The lake is situated where Germany, Switzerland, and Austria meet.

The April 1 water level at Mannenbach, which lies some 12 kilometres west of the city of Konstanz, is barely above the all-time low recorded on April 1, 1972 and well below the long-term average.

Low rainfall and low snowmelt from the Alps are given as the reasons. There has been less snow in the mountains in the Rhine catchment area than usual.

The outlook remains poor. A stable high pressure system over the next 10 days and expectations that the snowmelt will not increase noticeably mean that the level could decline even further, according to Philemon Diggelmann, head of the regional hydrology department.

Water levels on Upper Lake Constance are also low, but not as low as on the Lower Lake. The reasons for this remain unclear, according to Diggelmann. Algae growth could be slowing flow through the Seerhein that links the Upper and Lower lakes, he believes.