The morphology of river beds, riverbanks and floodplains has thus far been largely ignored in water quality assessments.

In 1996 an ecological master plan for the Weser river basin (Ökologische Gesamtplanung Weser) was published that encompasses the entirety of the Weser basin’s floodplains.

Länderarbeitsgemeinschaft Wasser (LAWA; Working Group of the German Laender on Water Issues) has elaborated a procedure that forms the basis of a hydromorphology mapping of the Werra, Fulda and Weser rivers.

The following stretches of river were mapped in 1997: 395 km of the upper and Middle Weser, 295 km of the Werra, and 221 km of the Fulda. An overview of the mapping results are shown in a table.

Being a waterway, the Weser has been subject to substantial numbers of maintenance and engineering measures that have resulted in the river’s morphology being categorized as substantially or seriously damaged (quality class 5 and 6). The floodplain dynamics of some stretches of the Weser, particularly those near urban areas, have been classified as extremely damaged. Some segments of the upper Werra still have near-natural stretches (quality class 2), whereas the morphology quality status of the river’s lower reaches ranges from class 5-7. Some segments of the upper Fulda also have near-natural stretches, although most of the remainder of the river is classified as quality status 4 through 6 (notably or substantially damaged).

Evaluation criteria for hydromorphology quality