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Bad Karlshafen / Frankfurt (dpa / lhe) - Scientists from the University of Frankfurt fear a setback in the fight against algae blooms in the new port basin of the city of Bad Karlshafen.
Some of the 4800 aquatic plants used as an antidote in the northernmost port of Hesse were damaged by construction work there.
"That calls into question the effectiveness for an algae-free port in 2021," said the water expert Heike Zimmermann-Timm on Monday.
She recommended replanting.
Mayor Marcus Dittrich (independent) announced that the recommendation would be implemented in consultation with the responsible palace administration of the State of Hesse.
Bad Karlshafen reactivated the historic port basin on the Weser in 2019 for 6.5 million euros.
Shortly after the opening, the water was covered with a carpet of algae.
The Frankfurt Goethe University had investigated the phenomenon.
The researchers found that during floods, nutrients from fertilizers enter the Diemel River from the fields and then enter the port system via a canal.
"These nutrients are one reason for algae blooms in the port basin of Bad Karlshafen," declared the city and university.
As a result, 4800 water plants were placed in the basin in the summer.
The plants such as reeds and cattails, which the state of Hesse bought for 30,000 euros, have since been drawing nutrients from the water and the algae have disappeared.
It was initially unclear how many aquatic plants should be replanted.
The city on the Weser with around 3,600 inhabitants has high hopes for the port.
It is supposed to attract tourists to the once popular spa town.
Critics like the Taxpayers' Association have been questioning the meaning of the project for years.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210125-99-166415 / 2