Record Low Water Levels Impact European Rivers

By Ted Scull

Sandy streams seen in this photo below of the Loire Valley make it impossible for river traffic to proceed.

Apart from most of the Loire, sections of the Rhine River have also been affected by record low water levels this year, though the deeper draft cargo barges have been disrupted more than the shallower draft riverboats.

The lower reaches of the Danube have been more affected than higher up.

The 2022 summer weather conditions reached extreme levels of both temperature changes and highly varied amounts of rainfall throughout most of the world.

For instance, while rainfall has flooded one-third of the country of Pakistan, drought has reduced European river passenger travel and cargo movements to some of the lowest levels in history.

While QuirkyCruise cannot provide up-to-hour bulletins, we can give you an overview and provide sources with up-to-date conditions, especially if you are looking to plan a river cruise or you are scheduled to take one soon.

Obviously, if you are booked and are soon to depart for Europe, the river line should be keeping you informed of any changes.

However, if the cruise is still on, that does not necessarily mean it will unfold as laid out in the perspective.

Record Low Water Levels — Various Scenarios

The water-level alterations may result in a change in itinerary to be able to proceed, with you remaining on the boat you booked.

It could also mean spending part of the cruise on the scheduled ship and then moving to another boat if the subsequent destinations can no longer be accessed.

While the water level is summertime low, this Slovakian stretch of the Danube is navigable for now. Normally sandy spit would be underwater.

Some lines, most notably Viking, have many vessels laid out exactly the same, and others with a few, so while it may be a nuisance to pack up, transfer perhaps by bus to another, the cabin may only vary by the picture on the wall.

If you can then complete the cruise as advertised that’s wonderful, and Viking’s duplicate itineraries operating in opposite directions are designed to do just that.

If the river is not navigable, your ship may serve as a stationary hotel, and you head off for your destinations by bus.

The drive may be partially along the river or via a scenic inland route. If your riverboat can’t move for a second day, the excursion’s drive may be longer.

Differences River by River

The most traveled European rivers are in alphabetical order — the Danube, Douro, Elbe, Loire, Main, Moselle, Po, Rhine, Rhone, and Seine.

Europe river cruise map from Ama Waterways

A map showing many of Europe’s major rivers. * Photo: AmaWaterways

The situation faced may be a lack of rainfall over a long period of time, and that may be at more distant water sources well upstream.

The virtually dried up Loire River in France. * Photo: Reuters

Another factor is extreme high temperatures causing increased river water evaporation.

For the Rhine, a major factor is the amount of snow that fell in the Swiss Alps during the previous winter.

In the spring, it melts and flows into the river north of Basel on the German-Swiss border to flow through Germany and the Netherlands.

Lack of snow or rain results in the same scenario for other rivers.

Normal river depths are a big factor. The Loire flowing past all those magnificent chateaux is normally shallower than most other rivers, and the upper Elbe is similar.

The specially designed low-draft paddle-wheelers for the Loire draw less water than stern propellors that dig deeper into the river. Hence, there is little wiggle room if the Loire’s river level decreases by several inches.

Europe river levels are low including in the Loire

The Loire Princesse. * Photo: Croisi Europe

A sidewheeler, such as this one above, has a shallow draft that allows it to proceed in more shallow conditions on the Loire River.

Some rivers, especially the Rhine and Danube, provide very important commercial routes for moving goods between European countries as does the Mississippi River and to a lesser extent the Ohio.

A single cargo barge can carry more bulk cargo at much lower rates than employing a whole fleet of trucks.

In some cases, Rhine and Danube barges drew less water by loading up only 25 to 50% of what they normally would.

While the cargo continues to flow but at lower levels than normal, that results in the need for extra cargo barge moves and more costs. With even lower water levels occurring, some barge traffic ceased altogether.

Moselle River barges transport building materials and agricultural products, and most of these commodities originate in southern Germany or the Ruhr, an urban and industrial area in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Moselle, a highly scenic tributary has its source in France, so rainfall there is crucial. River levels this summer currently only reached half the norm seen in the past two years.

Along the Loire, reports are indicating that some stretches allowed one to walk across the river from one bank to another.

Even though the riverboats may have some of the shallowest drafts in Europe, with these unprecedented low levels, no commerce can operate as seen above.

Rhine-Main Canal

Germany’s Rhine-Main Canal permits traffic to sail from Amsterdam all the way to the mouth of the Danube as it empties into the Black Sea.

The canal was largely destroyed during WWII. Since 1992, today’s rebuilt canal is much wider and allows more than one riverboat at a time to occupy some of the 16 locks speeding up transit times.

The waterway, 106 miles (171 kilometers) long, simply cuts through the undulating countryside providing a highly scenic passage.

Disruptions have taken place around Regensburg at the Danube end of the Rhine-Main Canal. Some trips have been interrupted and passengers have been transferred around blockages to another riverboat.

Sources for Checking on Water Levels

When researching river levels, centimeters will be used and to convert to inches, 2.54 centimeters = one inch.

Beyond checking with the specific river cruise line that you’re booked with, you can stay up to date on European river conditions by simply googling such, for example, www.rhineforecast.com.

The site offers the Rhine’s depth in meters over time for several locations. “Rhine Forecast” also includes figures on the Moselle, Main and Neckar rivers.

For info on water levels of the Danube River, visit: www.danubeportal.com