SiSchöMo research project
Sluice and pumping station monitoring on the coast of Lower Saxony (SiSchöMo)
Key data:
· Project period: November 2019 until October 2023
· Currently equipped structures:
o Maadesiel (since November 2019)
o Wangersiel (since June 2022)
o Sautel (since September 2022)
o Dangastersiel (October 2022)
· Parameters monitored by W.A.S. GmbH:
o Water level
o Flow velocity
o Lift gate position
o Pump runtimes
The sluice and pumping structures on the German North Sea coast represent the complicated interface between two very different hydrological systems. While the hydraulic conditions on the inland side are essentially determined by precipitation behaviour, groundwater levels and inflows from neighbouring catchment areas, the hydraulic conditions on the sea side are essentially determined by the tide and the wind (e.g. during storm surges).
The central tasks of the sluice and pumping stations in this context are, on the one hand, to regulate the inland water levels and, on the other hand, to protect the inland from storm surges.
Due to climate change, the fulfilment of these tasks is becoming increasingly difficult and cost-intensive. Due to the increase in extreme weather conditions (e.g. heavy rainfall events) on the one hand and rising sea levels on the other, drainage windows (drainage times via gravity drainage) are becoming shorter. As a result, the periods during which drainage has to be carried out with the aid of pumps are constantly increasing, which generates substantial operating costs.
In order to be able to react appropriately to the changing conditions, the continuous hydrological recording and subsequent evaluation of the actual water levels, flow rates and pumped water volumes at the sluice structures is essential.
To this end, an agreement for a coastal project between the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection – represented by Minister O. Lies and the Technical University of Braunschweig represented by President Prof. Dr A. Ittel and Vice President D. Smyrek – was initiated at the beginning of November 2021. The Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Department of Hydrology and River Basin Management, represented by Prof. Dr H.M. Schöniger, was commissioned to carry out the ‘Siel- und Schöpfwerkmonitoring Niedersächsische Küste’ until October 2023.
As part of this project, the company W.A.S. GmbH is responsible for equipping the sluice structures with suitable measurement technology and for the maintenance and repair of the same, as well as for regular data processing.
The following presentation provides information on the measurement technology used at the individual structures: