Heavy rain prevention in VG Konz is being optimized

Anyone strolling along streams or through vineyards in the Konz administrative district these days will likely encounter heavy machinery in some places. Excavators are currently carrying out preparations for optimizing flood protection measures at culverts and drainage ditches.

Specifically, this refers to so-called "inlet structures." These technical installations, usually made of concrete, allow rainwater to flow into the sewers. Grates on the structures prevent debris or rubble from clogging the sewers. In short, these structures reduce the risk of flooding.

As part of the implementation of the flood and heavy rain management plan, 19 of these inlet structures are now being optimized. Most of the structures date back to the 1970s and function well during normal rainfall. However, due to increasingly frequent heavy rain events and flash floods, the structures and their surroundings at critical points must be designed to handle larger volumes of rainwater.

In the coming weeks, excavation work will be carried out at the relevant locations. For example, the drainage angle of a farm track will be adjusted to better direct rainwater into the drainage ditches. At other locations, space will be created for the later installation of larger, sometimes three-dimensional, structures.

The work on the inlet structures is taking place in all municipalities within the Konz administrative district. The costs for the improvements amount to approximately €180,000, with a subsidy covering 60 percent of the costs.

As part of the flood and heavy rain management plan, the civil engineering office of the municipality has already implemented a large portion of the measures stipulated therein. These include, among other things, structural modifications to drainage ditches at several high-risk locations in the Konz municipality (e.g., in Konz-Niedermennig and Tawern), the installation of stone blocks or barriers for driftwood and sediment in watercourses (e.g., on the Grawelsbach stream in Wiltingen), improvements to water retention in many places (e.g., in Wawern and Oberbillig), and the relieving of pressure on the sewer system by separating forest drainage (e.g., in Oberemmel).