Posted on March 25, 2026
A pusher barge with a hopper barge dumps a mixture of sand and gravel into the Elbe near Zahna. The so-called bed load addition is intended to stem the erosion of the inland Elbe and stabilize the river bed. The river is digging deeper and deeper into its bed. This also lowers the groundwater level – with consequences for nature, agriculture and shipping. Overall, there is an annual deficit of around 120,000 tons in the affected section between Torgau and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The material brought in comes partly from gravel works in the region and partly from the river itself.
