Author(s): Martin Struck; Irina Klassen; Petra Faulhaber; Astrid Ewe
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: Near Reitwein at the River Oder (Germany), riverbank and groyne deterioration for decades over an 800 m reach led to impaired conditions for navigation and icebreaking, while producing ecologically valuable hydromorphological diversity. To restore navigability and simultaneously conserve emergent habitats, several variants of river training structures were tested through numerical and physical modelling. A longitudinal training wall with openings and inlet and outlet sills was selected for construction as it achieved similar flow concentration to groynes in the main channel while maintaining hydraulic and morphological diversity behind the training wall. Post-construction monitoring so far (2019–2025) confirms stable channel morphology, a dynamic equilibrium behind the longitudinal training wall with large temporal and spatial variability, and sustained ecological functionality. The Reitwein project exemplifies how adaptive river training structures can reconcile navigation, sediment dynamics, and habitat preservation in large lowland rivers.
Year: 2026