The torrent in the Rappenalptal near Oberstdorf, which was destroyed by unauthorized dredging work, has come somewhat closer to its natural state. The six-week restoration work was completed last week, as the Oberallgäu district office reported on Thursday.
In order to renaturate the stream at the southernmost tip of Germany, previously built dams were removed and dead wood was introduced into the stream bed. According to the office, the measures are intended to raise the riverbed again. The extent to which this is successful will be evaluated after the snow melts.
Last fall, an alpine cooperative straightened and massively modified the strictly protected Rappenalpbach along a length of around one and a half kilometers with an excavator in order to repair flood damage. According to the district office, gravel that had previously been washed away by floods was to be dredged up. There was later a dispute over the question of who was responsible for the illegal work. The renaturation work was originally supposed to start in the spring.