Walheim under water: heavy rain brings dangerous floods!

Walheim under water: heavy rain brings dangerous floods!

On June 2, 2025, the community of Walheim in the Ludwigsburg district was again hit by heavy rain, which led to flooding in several residential buildings. Fire brigade commander Marko Horwath reported that the sewer system could not cope with the masses of water. Water entered some buildings through toilets and shower drains, and two manhole covers were even washed away by the rain. The community has about 3,200 residents, and many of them were affected by the effects of the storm.

The situation was not new, as there was already a similar storm on June 2, 2024, which caused significant damage. At that time, the Baumbach not only flooded residential buildings, but also a museum and a daycare center. The Baumbach overflowed its banks while the Neckar was already in flood. Horwath noted that heavy rain is no longer unusual and does not pose a major problem for the fire department. Fortunately, the current storm did not cause any serious damage, although water did seep into some apartments.

Extent of flooding

Around 80 buildings in Walheim were inundated by floodwaters on Sunday, including the local kindergarten and the Römerhaus museum. On Monday the situation eased, the water level fell and the cellars were pumped empty. Deputy Mayor Sandra Horvath-Duschek praised the emergency services and the volunteers who filled sandbags and helped actively. One firefighter suffered a sprained ligament during the operation, but fortunately there were no other injuries.

Affected citizens were asked to document damage in order to file insurance claims. In order to be able to better deal with future flood events, the municipality has commissioned the Bietigheim-Bissingen municipal utility company to plan flood protection measures. In the past, however, plans for a joint flood dam with the municipality of Erligheim were rejected. Horvath-Duschek expressed the fear that extreme weather events could occur more frequently in the future.

Further developments in the district

In Hessigheim, the flood situation began on Saturday, where the fire brigade set up a mobile flood barrier (beaver system) on the Neckar. The basement of the clubhouse was over a meter high in water, and on Gartenstrasse the water was between 10 and 20 centimeters high, and older buildings were particularly affected. Mayor Günther Pilz emphasized that the Beaver system would remain on site for a few more days because it was difficult to set up and dismantle. It remains uncertain whether Hessigheim will be equipped with a Beaver system again during the next flood.

In Ingersheim the water level rose again on Monday morning, and Mayor Simone Lehnert reported possible dangers from the Murr and the Rems. There had been floods in the area surrounding the Wiesental and citizens were forbidden from taking walks in the Neckar valley. The Ingersheimer Wehr helped in Löchgau, while Lehnert warned citizens to take warnings seriously.

Compared to other municipalities, Pleidelsheim was relatively spared and was able to return to its usual activities. Bietigheim-Bissingen was not directly affected, but the fire department was on standby when the Steinbach overflowed its banks in Löchgau. Commander Frank Wallesch appealed to citizens to prepare for possible extreme weather events in the long term and to consider their own protective measures.