About Leibis-Lichte Dam

The Leibis-Lichte-Talsperre in Thuringia is Germany's newest large reservoir, completed in 2006 after nearly three decades of planning, construction delays, and political disruption spanning both the GDR and reunified Germany eras. With a storage capacity of 32.8 million cubic metres, the 102-metre-tall concrete gravity dam impounds the Lichte river in the deeply incised slate valleys of the eastern Thuringian Forest near Stadtilm and Saalfeld. The reservoir was designed primarily to secure drinking water supply for the Erfurt, Saalfeld, and Rudolstadt urban areas, supplementing the older Leibis and Treba reservoirs in the upper Saale system. Construction involved the challenging relocation of several villages and the rerouting of the historic Rennsteig highway. The Lichte valley ecosystem, including habitat for common kingfisher and white-throated dipper, was carefully assessed and mitigation measures implemented. Today the reservoir is operated by the Thüringer Fernwasserversorgung and provides drinking water to approximately 500,000 people in central Thuringia. Its relatively young age means the water quality is among the cleanest of any comparable German reservoir, with low nutrient levels and excellent microbiological standards maintained by the extensive protected catchment zone.