- Monitoring of groundwater and surface water levels in the Middle Havel area - a basis for the management of landscape water resources The lowland of the middle stretch of the River Havel ("Mittlere Havel", Brandenburg, Germany) is characterised by hydrological conditions that are deeply influenced by draining for agricultural land use. In this area strategies for the sustainable management of landscape water resources are tested in a development and testing project, funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. For monitoring of environmental change, the scientifical accompaniment of the project established a network of gauges, measuring ground water levels, water levels in ditches and in the River Havel itself. Data is gathered in areas that are potentially endangered by flood and areas that are protected by embankments. Until now, data from this network is available for more than two hydrological years since autumn 2001. It shows that water level dynamics are mainly influenced by precipitation and evaporation. Only inMonitoring of groundwater and surface water levels in the Middle Havel area - a basis for the management of landscape water resources The lowland of the middle stretch of the River Havel ("Mittlere Havel", Brandenburg, Germany) is characterised by hydrological conditions that are deeply influenced by draining for agricultural land use. In this area strategies for the sustainable management of landscape water resources are tested in a development and testing project, funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. For monitoring of environmental change, the scientifical accompaniment of the project established a network of gauges, measuring ground water levels, water levels in ditches and in the River Havel itself. Data is gathered in areas that are potentially endangered by flood and areas that are protected by embankments. Until now, data from this network is available for more than two hydrological years since autumn 2001. It shows that water level dynamics are mainly influenced by precipitation and evaporation. Only in areas, which are under the potential influence of floods, ground water levels reach water levels in the river during winter term. In areas that are protected by embankments and additionally drained, surface and ground water levels are actually lower than water levels in the river. In addition, ground water levels are influenced by lowering the water levels in ditches. A sustainable landscape water management therefore has to be realised primarily through an altered management of water scoops in the diked areas. This requires the detailed analysis of all relevant hydrological and meteorological data including data about the water scoops.…
