some informations

- Population: 470.000 inhabitants
- Total area: 328 km2
- Highest point: 383 m a.s.l.
- Lowest point: 101 m a.s.l.
- With 63 per cent of its area devoted to woods and green spaces, Dresden can be considered one of the greenest cities in Europe
- Flood meadows along the river Elbe covering 1,510 ha

Four flood events in Dresden
- 12.08. Flood caused by the brooks.
- 13.08. Flood of the center of the city and main station by river Weisseritz, causing bad destructions and killing people.
- 14.08. to 22.08. Flood of river Elbe.
- since 16.08.2002 Flood of groundwater
(4 m more than the highest ground water level ever measured).

Weak points in the Dresden water system
- Errors in the design of the riverbeds
- Obstacles to the streamflow
- Cross- and parallel streams
- Failure of the forecast scheme
- Defects on dikes and the riverbeds
- Building development in flooding areas

First flood: the areas flooded by Dresden brooks		Second flood: the flooding area of the river Weisseritz
Third flood: the flooding area of the river Elbe		Fourth flood: extensive increase of ground water level

Decrease in volume of damage:
- Reduction in / Restriction of the potential of damage (e.g. stop of development in areas endangered by flood, master planning)
- Reduction in / Restriction of the risk of damage (e.g improvemet of retention or water-carrying capacity, improvement in flood forecasting and defence, long term: climatic change program)

Water system of brooks - Repair work immediately - Permanent maintenance - Keep open the banks by law - Watershed management in accordance to natural conditions - Removal of illegal buildings near rivers / in rivers - Realization of the river development planning

Weisseritz
- Repair work of the riverbed immediately
- Protection of the main station and the center of the city
- Extension of existing riverbed
- Enlargement of existing bridges
- Improvement of retention and streamflow conditions
- Guarantee of emergency spillway in the course of historical riverbed of Weisseritz

Elbe
- Improvement of retention and streamflow conditions
- Construction and improvement of dikes
- Ban of new development in flooding areas
- Flood protection of the city and the quarter Friedrichstadt by temporary floodwalls
- Improvement of flood forecasting and warning

Groundwater - Definition of new standard groundwater levels for important buildings - Protection of buildings against buoyancy mainly by passive measures (controlled basement flooding) - Protection of historical buildings by drain away of groundwater

Intersections to:
- Flood protection planning for sewage plant and sewerage
- Plan of flood disaster management
- Flood protection planning for the rivers Elbe and Weisseritz by the autorithies of Free State of Saxony
- Special flood protection for important public buildings