The Rhine River Watershed

Group B

Anthony, Arianna, Justin & Rob

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Ecology

Soil: Most of the soil throughout the Rhine River Basin is alluvial.

Alluvial Soils:

• Deposited as the result of erosion and flooding.
• Typically very fertile.
• Fine silt and sand
• Excellent drainage

Agricultural uses along the Rhine:

• Vineyards
• Grazing land

Ecology

Climate:

• Climate varies drastically along the Rhine depending on the season.
• Mild-Hot Summers
• Cold-Below Freezing during the winter.

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• Snowfall is common along the Rhine.
• Snow melt in the Alps makes up a large portion of Rhine’s volume.
• 70-90% of the water comes from melting snow depending on annual snowfall.

Ecology

Weather patterns:

• In recent decades climate change has begun to noticeably affect the Rhine.
• Summer months:
• Less rainfall
• Higher temperatures = More transpiration = More groundwater for needed for agriculture.
• Winter Months:
• Snowfall has decreased.
• Rain has increased
• Snow is melting earlier
• The overall ability of the watershed to store water has been reduced.

Ecology

Habitat:

• The Rhine River watershed has a many different habitats.
• Home to hundreds of plants and animal species.
• In the 1980s an international habitat restoration effort began to gain momentum.
• Cooperation between many agencies and governments has been very successful.
• 67 fish species are again present in the Rhine.
• Salmon, sea trout, sea and river lamprey have returned.
• Still far from achieving a balance.
• Sturgeon, plankton and waterfowl numbers are still far below what they should be.
• Restoration efforts continue working towards restoring habitat and bringing back biological diversity.

Food Production

The Rhine River plays a vital role in food production for many countries.

• 50% of the basin has been developed for agricultural uses.
• 15% Urban/Suburban development.
• 35% Still in a natural state.

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Food Production

Grazing Animals:

• Commonly raised along the Rhine in Germany and the Netherlands.
• The fertile soil is ideal for pastures.
• The Meuse-Rhine-Issel (MRI) cow was bred and developed in the netherlands and is common along the Rhine to this day. It is a multi purpose animal that produces milk as as meat.

Food Production

Vineyards:

• Common along German sections of the Rhine.
• Tradition that goes back many generations.
• Ideal Growing conditions:
• Nutrient rich soil
• Climate (Summer, Spring & Early Fall)
• Water access
• Excellent drainage

Food Production

Commercial/Recreational Fisheries:

• Germany
• Switzerland
• Netherlands
• Mostly Harvest Eel and Pike Perch
• Important food sources for the region.
• Over the last 10 years harvest yields have steadily declined.
• Fisheries are beginning to disappear as restoration efforts increase.

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Food Production

The Rhine River Basin provides the water and landscape needed for many Dutch, German and Swiss food products. The challenge for the immediate future has become balancing restoration efforts and meeting the food production needs of these nations.

Recommended Strategies for a More Resilient Future Watershed

Opposing Natural Tendencies

• Past attempts to make the Rhine flow more efficiently have taught us the hard way
• The future points toward working with the river’s natural flow to improve stability

The straightening of the upper Rhine along the French-German Border

Hard Engineering

“Flood interception schemes”

• Levees, dams, or channels to divert water away from settlements
• Can disrupt the natural ecosystem and water supply

Soft Engineering

Long-term, sustainable river management:

• Afforestation
• Contour/terrace farming
• Restoration of original curvature
• Designated wetlands
• Floodplain zoning (for cities)

Waste management in the Sewer of Europe

• Beginning in the 19^th century, the Rhine was called the Sewer of Europe
• By the 1970’s it was one of the most polluted rivers on earth!

Industrialization

• From 1850 onward, pollution from industrialization and urbanization on the Rhine caused the salmon to nearly go extinct by 1950
• Pollution reduction and waste treatment was not improved until the 1970’s

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Organized Pollution management

• 1950 ICPR (International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine) was established.
• Members from Germany, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.�

• 1976, the Convention on the Protection of the Rhine against Pollution by Chlorides
• Nations share price to store waste salts and France agrees to reduce chloride emission 60% by 1980

The Sandoz Spill

• In 1986, Sandoz agrochemical warehouse in Switzerland caught fire
• Released toxic agrochemical substances into river
• Killed all aquatic life up to 400 km downstream
• Contaminated much of the drinking water for the Rhine River basin

Rhine Action Program of 1987

• ICPR approved response to the Sandoz spill of 1986
• Had the following goals:
• Restore salmon population by 2000
• Identify and ban the most dangerous pollutants
• Ecological restoration, fire protection, increased environmental standards and industrial regulation
• Reduce cadmium, mercury, lead and dioxins by 50-70% by 1995

• Program was largely successful, but some pollutants have yet to reach reduction goals

Rhine 2020: Plan for the Future

• In 2001, the ICPR and non-governmental organization agreed upon Rhine 2020
• Similar to Rhine Action Program
• Includes measures on flood and groundwater protection
• Plan going well so far

Benefits offered to the communities

• transportation of goods and raw materials

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• The Rhine river and its tributaries represents one of the most important transport routes in Europe
• Before 19th century transported goods were high in value, low in volume.
• volume of goods transported on the Rhine can be estimated at 311 million tons

Benefits

• Water supply

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• Domestic, agricultural, industrial usage
• waste water disposal
• hydro-power generation
• Fisheries
• and for recreation

The Arts

The rhine has inspired many for centuries.

• Literature
• Music
• archtecture

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An important route of cultural exchange

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politics

• Political boundaries
• 55 and 53 B.C.E
• First known political boundary

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• industrialization and urbanization has played a large part
• increase in pollution
• began during the 1850s due to the increase of agricultural/ fertilizer runoff and industrial wastes that were released into the river

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• water policies were put into place
• 1855 establishment of the Central Commission for Navigation of the Rhine” (or CCNR for short)

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Industrial economies

• home to six different industrial centers along the Rhine
• chemical/ coal/ and steel production facilities along with the food industry, textiles, automobile manufacturing facilities, and refineries

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• “one of the most heavily industrialized areas in the world”
• The Chemical production facilities alone produce about 10% of the global chemical production

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• coal/ steel production accounts for roughly 15% of the GDP of the German economy, which would place it as the 3rd largest GRP of metropolitan area in the European Union and the 16th largest GDP in the world

Eel being disposed of after the 1986 Sandoz accident.

2000 EU Water Framework Directive

(EU WFD)

2002 The International Meuse Commission (IMC)

Industrial wastewater must now pass through water treatment facilities before being discharged back into the Rhine River.