Fish lift on Baldeneysee

Baldeneysee has had Germany's first fish ladder system, also known as a fish lift, in operation at the weir since 2020. The fish lift system was installed so that fish can overcome the barrier of the weir and reach their spawning grounds. The fish elevator also includes a sonar system and a camera system. The measuring instruments permanently installed in the system record the number, size and behavior of the passing fish. The data is collected to measure effectiveness and to control and optimize the fish lift system. Baldeneysee.Ruhr explains what the fish elevator at Baldeneysee is all about.

The fish elevator consists of two tubes that are positioned vertically to each other. The water level in these tubes is equalized by emptying them. When the tube fills with water, the water-filled lift basket rises and transports the fish to the top. After the fish have been transported upwards, the tube is emptied and the lift basket lowers again. The fish lift has two tubes that are operated alternately. These are operated with this system so that fish that want to migrate always find a free lift. In addition, the tubes communicate with each other. If one tube fills with water and fish from the Ruhr want to swim to the higher tube, the other tube sinks. Baldeneysee the water level in the other tube sinks in the meantime. The fish lift system is there to enable fish to overcome the barrier of the weir and reach their spawning grounds. The fish elevator also contains a sonar system and a camera system. These are permanently installed in the system to measure the number, size and behavior of the fish. The data shows whether the system is effective and is used to control and optimize the fish lift.

With the financial support of the Ministry of the Environment and Agriculture, the Ruhrberband has set up the fish lift information point at the Baldeneysee was set up. The Infopoint is a kind of interactive exhibition that aims to explain the purpose and function of the fish elevator to all interested parties. It answers questions such as: Why do fish have to migrate? How does the fish lift system actually work? But where exactly is the fish elevator Infopoint located?

The fish lift system info point is located directly on the weir of Lake Baldeney and can be reached on foot from the Essen-Werden side or from the Essen-Bredeney side. As the weir does not have an elevator, but can only be reached via a staircase, the Infopoint is not barrier-free. On the Essen-Werden side, at the foot of the Baldeneysee dam for those arriving by car. Access is via the "Neukircher Mühle" road, which then becomes the "Hardenbergufer" and can no longer be accessed by car.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is an interactive 3D model more than five meters long, which is based on the lower Ruhr. The model has both a day and night view and offers further graphical information. Video clips on the nine most important dams can also be viewed. These films shed light on the history of the weirs and provide information on the current status of continuity. There is also a working model of the fish lift on a scale of 1:10. Younger visitors have also been catered for. There is a fishing game for them, where they can observe the fish from the Ruhr from their own perspective. There is also a hidden unicorn head that the children have to find in order to get a surprise.

The Infopoint even has a mascot. Horst is a burbot, a native fish species that is threatened with extinction. The fish lift is essential for this fish and all other fish, as it is the only way they can overcome the nine-metre difference in height between Baldeneysee and the Ruhr. With their lateral line organs, fish can sense the current and instinctively swim against it. The fish lift makes use of this, as the entrance has a counter-current system. The fish lift was inaugurated on August 17, 2020. Up to 800 fish can be transported at the same time. There is no information on how many fish have used the elevator since then. But there is about the costs. These are given as 6.8 million euros. A hefty sum - but essential for fish transportation between Baldeneysee and the Ruhr.