Ostesperrwerk

The Oste barrage is a barrage that protects the Oste, a left tributary of the Lower Elbe, from storm surges.
After the storm surge of 1962, in which 19 km of the Ostedeich were damaged and water from over 36 so-called ground quarries flooded about 10,000 ha of land, a barrage was planned for the Oste and construction began just two years later. The catchment area of the Oste covers an area of approx. 68,200 ha. The drainage is supported by 41 pumping stations along the Oste. The Oste barrage shortens the dike line of the Elbe by 135 km during storm surges. The eastern are still needed in normal tidal events and are used and maintained as a second dike line.

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