The restoration of the closed Störmthaler Canal in Leipzig's Neuseenland region remains a long way off. First of all, a feasibility study should now be commissioned to clarify whether and how the stability of the lock structure can be restored, the mining reclamation company LMBV announced on Wednesday. Only when it is available, concrete planning for the restoration of channel and lock could be started.
The 850-meter-long channel has been closed since March 2021. At that time, cracks had been detected in the embankment. The channel was built on dumping ground. It connects the Störmthaler and the Markkleeberger lake, which developed from flooded brown coal opencast mines.
The search for the cause of the damage is meanwhile completed. An expert opinion that the LBMV has commissioned, assumes a bundle of causes. In the dump soil there is the danger that fine soil particles are carried away by water. In addition, the groundwater recharge has developed differently than predicted, and the dump soil has also reacted differently than expected. Instead of sinking by 28 centimeters, the sluice had risen by two centimeters. In addition, he said, there were deficiencies in the design of the lock and canal.
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