Waakirchen has long been calling for guardrails to be installed in the Schopfloch on the B472 to protect drinking water. This is now supposed to happen - but only on the southern side of the road.
Waakirchen
– The most valuable asset in the community of Waakirchen has its source in the Schopfloch. The deep well that supplies the drinking water is located there. Not far away, traffic on the B 472 rushes past. In order to prevent oil or other pollutants from seeping into the protected area in the event of an accident, the community of Waakirchen has been fighting for years to have guard rails installed. Now the Rosenheim State Building Authority has made a decision that Mayor Norbert Kerkel (FWG) finds “downright bizarre” – and does not want to accept it.
Because of the cycle path, the authority sees no need for a guardrail
The office announced in writing that it would soon have a protective barrier installed south of the federal highway. In the north, this is now unnecessary because of the new footpath and cycle path that leads from Hoppe-Bräu towards Bad Tölz and the flattened embankment. “A technical protective device is seen as an unnecessary obstacle here,” says a letter that manager Markus Liebl read out to the local council.
Overall, the content caused heads to shake at the council table. The representative also described why the approximately 130 meter long stretch in the water protection area is still without guardrails. The commissioned construction was not carried out due to the increase in the price of steel, the letter states. Installation has now been confirmed for mid-April.
Mayor Kerkel: “I really don’t understand that”
However, only the southern edge of the road should now be protected. “I really don’t understand that,” Kerkel explained. The argument that the north side is already secured by the cycle path is simply wrong. This was recently demonstrated in a serious traffic accident. As reported, an overtaking maneuver on Maundy Thursday led to a collision with six vehicles involved. A Tölzer suffered serious injuries and a rescue helicopter was deployed. At the scene of the accident, Kerkel said, signs showed that a vehicle had slipped down the embankment across the bike path. “I documented that,” said Kerkel. The site is dangerously close to the community's drinking water supply. The deep well is around 800 meters away as the crow flies, but the Angerbach flows in the ditch next to the main road. If it were polluted by oil, the Waakirchner water would be in great danger.
Near disaster in 2017
A near-catastrophe in December 2017 remains unforgotten to this day. At that time, a heating oil truck slipped from the B 472 into the ditch near Angerbach. “Luckily the tanker was empty, otherwise we could have forgotten about our water supply,” says manager Liebl. Even back then, Waakirchen was emphatically calling for guard rails here.
Community demands mutual protection
Kerkel said he couldn't understand why the Free State Building Authority wanted to save on protective measures on the north side. “On the B 318, every tree is covered with crash barriers. And this is about a water protection area from which 10,000 people are supplied.” The mayor announced that he would not be satisfied with the information from the state building authority. Ultimately, the municipality also does everything else to be able to supply its citizens with water of the best quality in terms of public services. That's why the community will take another look at the guardrails: "We're not letting up."