Felt for several months continuous rain falls in the county. The weather is bad for many people, but it also has a good side. The rain showers over the past six months did their part to raise the groundwater level. Because vegetation takes a break in the winter, water can seep into the ground and form groundwater.
"It’s not too much rain", says leonhard rosentritt, the head of the water management office in bad kissingen. "Especially february and march so far have been good for the groundwater." The precipitation from the previous winter months from november to january had given the soil back its moisture. "The ground was dry down to a depth of two meters – that was a catastrophic drought."
Groundwater reacts
Due to the steady rainfall, the first effects on the groundwater levels are beginning to show. These are layers of groundwater at different depths. Because of its proximity to the surface, the upper floor reacts more quickly to precipitation than the lower floor. "In the upper level, which is close to the surface, we are slowly moving towards the mean water level", says the man from the water management office. "In the lower one we are gradually getting away from the lowest levels."
Farmer michael voll has also noticed this. He cultivates with his cattle, among other things, the slopes of the fire mountain. His cattle help prevent the land of the open range from becoming scrubby. As a result, even rare plant species – such as arnica – have recovered. The side effect: the species-rich meadows help to preserve the insect fauna and provide habitats for various species of bird. However, his animals are dependent on the cow’s wet. If water is missing, logically also their fodder is missing. Last year, full could still compensate for the durre by its sufficiently coarse shallows. He means: "at the moment it’s land under water, the meadows are drowning." He thinks: "it could slowly become better." He does not know whether he will have to worry about a drought this year.
Hopes germinate
Waldemar bug (odp), the mayor of burkardroth, is also hopeful. "I think the rain is a good foundation for the summer. Provided it does not become extremely dry", says the head of the town hall in burkardroth. In 2018, a source of drinking water dried up in the market town of burkardroth due to the drought. Since then, however, the groundwater has started to fill in again. "It was good that it was not a downpour, but a long-lasting downpour – that should have helped groundwater formation", he says.
However, the groundwater has not yet fully recovered. "It has been relatively dry for 16 years. And that just in the winter months, in which the groundwater is newly formed", says rosentritt. "What has not come in 16 years cannot come in one year." The head of the office says: "it should still be wet for four to five winter half-years so that the groundwater can continue to recover."