Location: The new Indeaue
In autumn 2005, the Inden open-cast mine reached the Indel riverbed near the former villages of Inden and Altdorf. Previously, a new riverbed had been created as a diversion during recultivation.
Between 1957 and 1965, the lower reaches of the Inde River had been straightened and widened to create agricultural land. Using old maps from the years 1806/07 and 1893, the former natural course of the river could be recreated for the design of the new bed.
In former times, the Inde meandered through the lowlands in wide loops.
On 2 September 2005, the Inde flooded its new bed for the first time. Since then, it has flowed in a wide curve through a floodplain 70 to 300 metres wide. It can develop freely, flooding the lowlands at high tide, creating sandbanks, islands and pools. In the new Inde floodplain, there is not only plenty of room for the river, but also for animals and plants that are severely threatened in the surrounding, intensively farmed area.
The 5 kilometres of straightened river course have now become about 12 kilometres. South of Kirchberg, the Inde rejoins its old bed. And one kilometre further on, it flows into the Rur.
Cycling and hiking trails lead through the new Inde floodplain and make it possible to experience how well nature has conquered this new habitat.
Flood 2021
After a cloudburst that lasted for hours, the Inde made its way into the Inden opencast mine with unimaginable force on 15 July 2021. The water masses overflowed the dam at the height of the Merödgen sports facilities and poured over the old Inde bed into the open cast mine.
An opencast mine employee was killed in the floods. Due to retrograde erosion, the water tore a 700-metre-long and up to 25-metre-deep gully into the fields at the edge of the open pit. Where it flowed into the open pit, it is 90 metres wide.
To prevent further erosion in the Lamersdorf area in the event of another millennium flood and thus improve protection, RWE secured the apron with an underground sheet pile wall. In addition, RWE rebuilt the channel for a targeted discharge of the water masses into the opencast mine.
It is one of those structures that will hopefully never be needed.