Fish lift on the Baldeneysee

The Baldeneysee has on Dam Since 2020, the first fish ladder in Germany, also Fish lift system The fish lift, also known as a fish lift, is now in operation. The fish lift system was installed to allow fish to overcome the barrier of the weir and reach their spawning grounds. The fish lift also incorporates a sonar system and a camera system. The permanently installed measuring instruments record the number, size, and behavior of the passing fish. This data is collected to measure the effectiveness and to control and optimize the fish lift system. Baldeneysee.Ruhr explains the purpose of the fish lift on the Baldeneysee.

The fish lift consists of two tubes positioned perpendicular to each other. The water level in these tubes is regulated by emptying them. As a tube fills with water, the water-filled lift basket inside rises, transporting the fish upwards. Once the fish have been lifted, the tube is emptied and the lift basket descends again. The fish lift has two tubes that operate alternately. This system ensures that migrating fish always find an available lift. Furthermore, the tubes communicate with each other. While one tube fills with water and fish from the Ruhr River want to swim to the higher-level Baldeneysee, the water level in the other tube simultaneously drops. The fish lift system allows fish to overcome the barrier of the weir and reach their spawning grounds. The fish lift also incorporates a sonar system and a camera system. These are permanently installed 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 financial support from the Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture, the Ruhrverband (Ruhr River Association) has established the Fish Lift System Information Point at Baldeneysee. The information point is a kind of interactive exhibition designed to explain the purpose and function of the fish lift to all interested parties. It answers questions such as: Why do fish need to migrate? How does the fish lift system actually work? But where exactly is the fish lift information point located?

The fish lift system information point is located directly on the weir of the Baldeneysee and can be reached on foot from the Essen-Werden side or from the Essen-Bredeney side. Since the weir has no elevator and can only be reached via stairs, the information point is not wheelchair accessible. On the Essen-Werden side, at the foot of the Baldeneysee Stauwehr parking spaces are available for arrival by car. Access is via the road "„Neukircher Mill“, which further along becomes the „Hardenbergufer“ and can no longer be driven on by motor vehicles.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a more than five-meter-long interactive 3D model of the lower Ruhr River. The model features both day and night views and offers additional graphical information. Visitors can also watch video clips about the nine most important weirs. These films illuminate the history of the weirs and provide information on the current state of fish passage. A working 1:10 scale model of the fish lift is also on display. Younger visitors are also catered for. There's a fishing game for them, allowing them to observe the fish of the Ruhr from their own perspective. Additionally, a unicorn head is hidden away, which children must find to receive a surprise.

The information point even has a mascot. Horst is a burbot, a native fish species that is threatened with extinction. For this fish, as for all other fish, the fish lift is essential, because it's the only way they can overcome the nine-meter difference in elevation between the Baldeneysee and the Ruhr River. Fish can sense the current with their lateral line organs and instinctively swim against it. The fish lift takes advantage of this, as its entrance features a counter-current system. The fish lift was inaugurated on August 17, 2020. Up to 800 fish can be transported at a time. There are no figures on how many fish have used the lift since then. However, the cost is known: it's stated as 6.8 million euros. A considerable sum – but indispensable for fish transport between the Baldeneysee and the Ruhr River.