Steinlach
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The Steinlach is a river with a length of in
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. It is a tributary to the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
. It has its source in the ''Eckenbachgraben'', a gap in the
Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...
mountain range. The source is on the territory of the town of Mössingen, on an elevation of above sea level. The Steinlach flows into a northerly direction. After taking up several streams outside of Mössingen, it flows through Ofterdingen, Nehren and Dußlingen to
Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...
, where it discharges into the Neckar.


Geography


History

The Steinlach has its source east of Mössinger District Talheim and west of Ruchberges at about 710 meters above sea Level in a northeastern side valley of the ''Eckenbachgraben'', a
gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...
between five and ten meters deep below the Traufkante of the
Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...
. The source outlet of the somewhat longer left upper reaches from the Eckenbachgraben shifts with the
karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
water level of the
Swabian Alb The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...
. The sources of both branches are just still located in the municipal area of Sonnenbühl. The Steinlach enters the Steinlachtal near Talheim in the Alb foothills and is then strengthened by the Weiherbach, which is longer at its mouth and has a much larger catchment area. It now flows approximately northwest, takes the Öschenbach from the right one kilometer before Mössingen and then crosses Mössingen on its western course. After the Tannbach in Ofterdingen, which is also a considerable stream, flows from the south-southwest, it first follows its flow direction. But already from the isolated mill in Nehren it flows constantly northwards until the mouth. After the next village Dußlingen, its largest tributary, the Wiesaz, flows from the right, close to its powder mill. In the following short valley section forest heights move close to the river for the first time since Talheim, on the left and on the right side. From the right side the Ehrenbach coming from direction Ohmenhausen flows into the river at Bläsibad. On now straightened run through the Tübinger district Derendingen and finally through the southern part of the city centre of Tübingen, it reaches the Neckar, to which it flows from the right at about 317.5 meters above Sea Level, less than half a kilometre below the Neckarinsel. The Steinlach flows into the river Steinlach after its almost 26 ‰ km long path with an average river bed gradient of 15 ‰ about 393 meters below its source.


Catchment area

The Steinlach drains almost 142 km2 at the Albtrauf around Mössingen and Gomaringen and in the Albvorland north to the Neckar. Its catchment area borders on its northeastern side already a little upstream of its mouth on the catchment area of the Echaz, the next large right tributary of the Neckar. On the southeast side, the European Watershed runs along the Albtrauf along the Albtrauf from the Rhine on this side to the Danube on the other side, direct competitor to the Danube is the Lauchert with its tributaries and its partly long underground karst tributaries. Behind the short southwestern watershed the Starzel now runs again to the Neckar above the Steinlach. The following neighbouring rivers behind, of which only the Katzenbach and possibly also the Bühlertalbach have some importance, drain the forest area of the Rammert, which extends adjacent to this side to the estuary of Tübingen. The highest altitudes are all on the Albtrauf at the southeastern watershed, where the terrain rarely falls below 800 meters above Sea Level. The Monkberg south of Talheim above the headwaters of the Wangenbach reaches 884.4 m above Sea Level, the second highest Bolberg left above the valley slope of the upper Öschenbach 8808 meters above Sea Level.


Tributaries

Direct tributaries from the source to the estuary. * Eckenbachgraben (longer right and eastern spring branch) * (stream from the ''Tierental''), from the left and southeast at the forest border before Talheim, 0,7 km * Kirchbach, from right and east-northeast in Talheim, 1,1 km * Weiherbach, from left and southwest at the western border of Talheim, 3,3 km and 9,3 km² * Gässlesgraben, from left and west-southwest after the Steinlachmühle, 0,9 km * Seebach, from right and east on just after the previous one, 4,1 km and 3,5 km² * (stream from the ''Buchenstelle''), from left and southwest near the brick hut of Mössingen, 1,4 km * Öschenbach, from the right and east, 8,4 km and 12,3 km² * Linsenbach, from left and southwest shortly before Mössingen, 1,3 km * Bachsatzgraben, from right and east-northeast after the lower mill of Mössingen, 1,6 km * Tannbach, from left and southwest at the southern edge of Ofterdingen, 8,7 km and 20,7 km² * (stream of the ''Banweg''), from the left and west southwest in southern Ofterdingen, 1,0 km * Ehrenbach (!), from the right and southeast at the northeast edge of Ofterdingen, 0,9 km * (stream from the ''Bienwund''), from left and southwest opposite the Nehrener Mühle, 2,2 km * Wiesbach or Oberwiesbach (!), from the right and southeast at the sports fields at the southern edge of Dußlingen, 4,7 km and 5,8 km² * Laughter, from left and southwest in Dußlingen, 2,0 km * Oberwiesbach (!), from the right and south-southeast in Dußlingen, 2,1 km; originates near the course of the previous Wiesbach * Wertgraben, from left and west-southwest in Dußlingen almost still opposite the previous one, 2,1 km * Weilersbach, from the left and west in Dußlingen, 2,4 km * Rahnsbach, from left and southwest between the last commercial buildings in Dußlingen, 2,6 km * Wiesaz, from the right and southeast near the powder mill of Dußlingen, 17,5 km and 38,7 km * Ehrenbach (!), from the right and east-southeast after the sewage treatment plant of Dußlingen, 7.0 km (with left upper course ''Kalter Brunnen'') and 9.6 km² * → (exit of the Mühlbach), to the left in the industrial area on the southern edge of Derendingen, 4.0 km; flows into the flood ditch next to the Neckar opposite the Neckar island in Tübingen * (inflow from Bläsiberg), from the right and east a few meters after the previous one, 0.6 km * Bläsibach, from the right and east, 1,4 km * (Waldbach from the ''Hohen Lehen''), from right and northeast in the Derendinger Gartenstadt, 1,2 km * Kaisersbrücklesgraben, from right and east-northeast at the river bridge of the Waldhörnlestraße, 0,8 km


Geology

Through retrograde erosion (geology) the Steinlach has contributed to the formation of the Swabian layered landscape. On its way into the Neckar valley it cuts into all rock layers from White Jurassic down to the reed sandstone, the Stuttgart Formation of the Keuper. At morphologically hard rock layers
waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...
occur, for example at the Untere Mühle near Mössingen and northeast of Ofterdingen not far from the sawmill. Near Mössingen it cuts through several meters thick
periglacial Periglaciation (adjective: "periglacial", referring to places at the edges of glacial areas) describes geomorphic processes that result from seasonal thawing and freezing, very often in areas of permafrost. The meltwater may refreeze in ice wedg ...
Limestone gravel surfaces, which probably led to the name ''Steinlach''. It passes through narrow valley areas, especially in the Mössinger town area and north of the Pulvermühle. The Steinlach flows through the Mössinger gravel plain in a curved course and later on it deepens into the underlying layers of the Black Jura. At the Pulvermühle it has cut through the stratigraphic package of the Stubensandstein (Löwenstein Formation), but there it already runs in a wide sole notch valley. At its mouth it has deposited an overhanging gravel fan, which pushed the course of the Neckar to the north and on which parts of today's southern city of Tübingen were built. The deposition of this estuary delta slowed down the runoff and led to the filling of the sole notch valley up to Dußlingen. In Ofterdingen the Steinlach flows on the Arieten Limestone Bank, a fossil-rich layer of the Black Jura, Lias. Alpha. A section of the creek bed between Schillerstraße and Uhlandstraße was put under protection as a geological
natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...
''Ofterdinger Schneckenpflaster'', because there are especially many stone cores of the name-giving
ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...
''Arietites bucklandi'' on the surface. The entrance of the stone puddle into the layers of the Lias Alpha near Ofterdingen caused the deflection of the course to the northeast and let the waterfall below the village develop.


Significance for the settlement

Due to the humid
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...
with abundant precipitation throughout the year and the almost constant water supply, numerous Old Germanic villages were founded along the Steinlach (Mössingen, Ofterdingen, Dußlingen). The Germanic peasant clans used the Steinlach for drinking and process water purposes and as receiving waters for their sewage. Because the Steinlach had a permanent water supply and there are sections with a high gradient, mills settled on its banks early on. With the beginning of industrialization, industries with high water and energy requirements, such as textiles and later the chemical industry, also settled on its banks. Water extraction and discharge of
waste water Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
had a strong impact on the water regime of the Steinlach and reduced its
water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...
. The protection of the traffic routes in the Steinlach valley and the southern part of Tübingen from Steinlach floods made it necessary to straighten the previously natural course of the Steinlach between Dußlingen and Tübingen, and thus to permanently impair it. The concreting of the Steinlach bed within Ofterdingen, which was carried out as early as the 1970s, also served the purpose of flood defence. At the same time, the mechanical-biological collective sewage treatment plant of the Abwasserzweckverband der Steinlach-Anliegergemeinden south of Derendingen as well as numerous rainwater
retention basin A retention basin, sometimes called a retention pond, wet detention basin, or storm water management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage ...
s were built. The water quality of the Steinlach was thus improved and flood peaks could be smoothed. However, the water yield of the Steinlach decreased, which has a negative effect on the water regime of the stream, especially during dry periods. The withdrawal of water, e.g. to supply water to gardens, is then mostly prohibited by the authorities.


References

{{Authority control Rivers of Baden-Württemberg Rivers of Germany