High water peak on the Rhine River is not as bad as predicted

The highest water level of the Rhine River in Lobith will be reached on Sunday. The water level in the Gelderland village, where the river enters the Netherlands, is somewhat lower than what infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat expected. The river will reach a peak of about 14.35 meters above the NAP Amsterdam sea level, which is about 15 centimeters lower than the peak observed just before New Year's Eve, the agency said.

It will be the fourth unusually high water mark set in the major rivers in the Netherlands since November 22. For this to happen four times in a matter of weeks is "quite exceptional," Rijkswaterstaat said.

Because hardly any rain is expected in the entire Rhine basin in the coming week, the water level will drop quickly after Sunday. The water authorities said the river will again be at a normal level for this time of year from Wednesday.

The water level of the Maas River is also falling rapidly, after the rainy river reached its highest level on Thursday. The discharge of the Maas near Maastricht is expected to return to normal levels on Sunday.

The water volume in the rivers takes days to flow away throughout the Netherlands. Water boards will therefore continue to closely monitor the dikes, which are soaking wet, in the coming week. Badgers caused damage by digging at the quay along the Groene Kanaal at Hackfort in the Achterhoek. The Rhine en IJssel Water Board will carry out repairs there in the coming days.

Shipping traffic on the Linge and the Merwede Rivers will remain blocked for the time being, said the Rivierenland water authorities. The water in the Linge is dropping, but it is still too high to safely allow ships through. Water pumping are also in wide use to prevent flooding in places like Gorinchem and Leerdam.

Deventer takes into account that the IJssel River will reach a level on Monday that may cause some flooding on the quay. Before New Year's Eve, sandbags and other material was put in place on the lowest parts of the quay to prevent water from seeping over the quay wall. Authorities are considering whether they need to restrict traffic on the main road along the quay again this weekend, the municipality said.