The Haslach is a small river in the region of Upper Swabia

Upper Swabia

Upper Swabia is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Alb, Lake Constance and the Lech...

 in Baden Württemberg in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.
It is an eastern tributary to the river Rot

Rot (Danube)

The Rot is a southern tributary of the river Danube in the region of Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It has a length of 54 km.The Rot runs in a northerly direction parallel to the river Iller to the east, and Westernach to the west...

 and has a length of 5,5 km.

Geography

The source of the river Haslach is to the southeast of Haslach

Rot an der Rot

Rot an der Rot is a town in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The town developed out of Rot an der Rot Abbey....

 in the district

Districts of Germany

The districts of Germany are known as , except in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein where they are known simply as ....

 of Ravensburg

Ravensburg (district)

Ravensburg is a district in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Bodensee, Sigmaringen and Biberach, the Bavarian urban district Memmingen and the districts Unterallgäu, Oberallgäu and Lindau.-History:The district dates back to the Oberamt Ravensburg, which was...

 on the territory of the municipalities

Municipalities of Germany

Municipalities are the lowest level of territorial division in Germany. This may be the fourth level of territorial division in Germany, apart from those states which include Regierungsbezirke , where municipalities then become the fifth level.-Overview:With more than 3,400,000 inhabitants, the...

 of Aitrach

Aitrach

Aitrach is a municipality in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

 and Bad Wurzach

Bad Wurzach

Bad Wurzach is a small town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a well known health-resort destination, and home to the oldest moor-spa in Baden-Württemberg, as well as one of the biggest connected high-moor areas in Europe. It is situated 25 km northeast of...

. The rivulets

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 Schmiddis

Schmiddis

The Schmiddis is one of the headstreams of the river Haslach. It is situated in the region of Upper Swabia in Baden Württemberg, Germany.- Geography :...

 and Rappenbach flow into the retention basin

Retention basin

A retention basin is used to manage stormwater runoff to prevent flooding and downstream erosion, and improve water quality in an adjacent river, stream, lake or bay. Sometimes called a wet pond or wet detention basin, it is an artificial lake with vegetation around the perimeter, and includes a...

 Rappenbach, forming the river Haslach. The river Haslach then runs into a northerly directions. One kilometre to the south of Rot an der Rot another stream, the Roteisbach, joins the Haslach.

After 5,5 km the Haslach empties its waters into the river Rot between Rot an der Rot and Zell near Rot an der Rot Abbey

Rot an der Rot Abbey

Rot an der Rot Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastery in Rot an der Rot in Upper Swabia, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was the first Premonstratensian monastery in the whole of Swabia...

.

History

On 17 August 1969 heavy thunderstorm

Thunderstorm

A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...

s and torrential rain of a kind rare in Upper Swabia resulted in a dangerous rise of the water level

Water level

Water level or gage height or stage is the elevation of the free surface of a stream, lake or reservoir relative to a specified datum ....

 in an outdated retention basin. When the waters flooded the dam crest

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

, the dam, which was 8 metres high, collapsed at a length of 50 metres, resulting in a flood wave that swept large quantities of scree

Scree

Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...

, boulder

Boulder

In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....

s, wood and uprooted trees onto roads, thoroughfare

Thoroughfare

A thoroughfare is a place of transportation intended to connect one location to another. Highways, roads, and trails are examples of thoroughfares used by a variety of general traffic. On land a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a rough trail to multi-lane highway with grade separated...

s and rivers rendering them impassable. Fire brigades and members of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief

Technisches Hilfswerk

The Bundesanstalt Technisches Hilfswerk is a civil protection organisation controlled by the German federal government...

from all over Baden-Württemberg came to the rescue and helped clearing the affected areas from debris.