It is exceptional that the Rhine is very likely to reach a record low level in the middle of summer. Usually the average water level at Lobith at this time of year is about 8.70 meters above NAP. Very low water levels are more common in the autumn, because then no more meltwater from the Alps enters the river.
By the end of the week, the Rhine water discharge at Lobith will drop to 650 cubic meters of water per second. That too is very close to the lowest discharge ever recorded at this time of year. This is an important factor for commercial shipping, because the water level does not directly say anything about the amount of water that is available. The water level can change over the years, because the shape of the river and the channel change.
“Similar to a pan”, says Cristel de Zwaan, Rivers advisor at the Water Management Center of the Netherlands (WMCN). “In a narrow pan, a liter of water is higher than in a wide pan, but it contains the same amount of water.” That is why water managers and skippers want to know in particular how much water there is, ie how much water is flowing into the country.
That very little water will come to Lobith in the coming days is also apparent from a message from the water managers in Germany. They report on Tuesday that the water level of the Rhine at Emmerich, just across the border in Germany, has fallen below the level of the dipstick. There is still about two meters of water flowing through the fairway.