The dam consists of a 95 m long and 13 m high dam and a centrally located weir with spillway, bottom outlet and fish pass. An approx. 10 m wide weir bridge leads over the weir. The dam was built as an earth dam with a surface seal of plastic sealing sheeting covered with cobblestones and put into operation in 1972. The upstream slopes were sealed in the same way as the dam body. In order to reduce the flow around and under the dam, an additional clay seal was installed along the slope embankments and in the bottom for a length of about 50 m in the reservoir. The maximum possible flood event designated for the dam is a discharge of 421 m³/s. The maximum flood discharge on July 15, 2021 was approx. 420 m³/s at the Echtershausen intake level and approx. 433 m³/s at the Wiersdorf outlet level.
Due to this extraordinary event, the Bitburger Land association municipality had a safety inspection carried out. This consisted of a surveying inspection of the dam crest (deformation measurement) and a visual inspection of the barrier structure, consisting of the dam and the weir system including the weir walk. The hydraulic steel structure was not inspected. No damage affecting the stability and serviceability of the dam structure could be detected. The gauge house in Echtershausen is still in place, but the infrastructure such as roads, cables, pipes has been destroyed.
Dr. Barbara Tönnis – Weimar