Hochwasser

Your private flood defence. Our government funding.

As an owner, leaseholder, or tenant of property along the Tidal Elbe System, you know how important it is to have adequate, future-proof flood defence. Large parts of the city of Hamburg's public flood defence facilities have already been modernized to meet the needs of the future. This will now be followed by improvement of private flood defence facilities.

The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has implemented a grant program to support you in these efforts that includes 94 million euros in available funding.

What will be funded?

Projects for remedying deficits with existing polders, existing flood defence facility for private property, as well as flood defence facility for existing operational facilities and existing buildings that to date have no flood defence. The deficits must have been determined on the basis of the most recent flood risk assessment. Examples of structures and projects that can be funded include:

  • Dikes, terps (artificial dwelling mounds), flood defence barriers with gates, vehicle and pedestrian crossings, and conduits for power lines, cables, and pipelines.
  • Structures that protect existing flood defence facilities from the impacts of waves and wave overflow.
  • Measures that protect buildings and facilities against storm surges, such as: elevation, sealing, and encapsulation of equipment and facilities, installation of backflow prevention devices in wastewater pipelines, etc.
  • Measures that seal and provide reinforcement against storm surge water pressure.

Who can obtain funding?

Owners, leaseholders, and tenants on properties in the Elbe tidal zone that are at risk due to their location within a designated storm flood zone. This refers to zones that have been identified as being susceptible to extreme storm surges by means of model projections calculated under a range of anomalous conditions.

Important note: Only properties that are located outside of public flood control zones and the HafenCity district are eligible.

How much funding is available for each project?

Up to 50% of your certified costs can be covered.

What is the procedure?

After receiving the final inspection report for preliminary planning, the application for approval of a grant must be submitted in parallel with the water permit approval process.

As soon as you have received your grant approval , you may award the contract for construction. Construction contracts that are awarded prior to receipt of the grant approval can generally not be funded.

You must finance the planned construction project in advance.

As sections are completed, you may request grant funds (no more than 60% of the total specified in the grant approval notice).

You may apply to participate in the grant program by 30 December 2008.

All proof of utilization of funds must be submitted by 30 June 2016.
In justified exceptional cases, a project's duration may be extended .


The grant funds will be paid out after review of the submitted documents.

You can download the grant conditions under the "Vorschriften" (requirements) menu item.

Questions? Don´t hesitate to contact us

Hamburg Port Authority
Förderstelle privater Hochwasserschutz
Neuer Wandrahm 4,
20457 Hamburg

Contact via e-mail

Your direct contacts

Sven Maudrich Tel.: +49 (0) 40 42847-2289

Bernd Möller Tel.: +49 (0) 40 42847-2342

Thomas Diepold Tel.: +49 (0) 40 42847-2341

Carsten Mösenthin Tel.: +49 (0) 40 42847-3143

Forms and applications

Find further information in our Download-Terminal.

To our Download-Terminal

port wave

Permits

Under what contractual conditions can the static effects of the supporting function of a waterfront structure be taken into consideration?

If the static effects of the supporting function of a waterfront structure are taken into consideration for improvement and new construction measures, static calculations for the waterfront structure must be provided (see Calculation Principles for flood defence barriers , flood defence facilities, and waterfront structures (BHFU), Section 12; 2013 version, implementation into technical construction practices to take place in the beginning of 2015); in addition a agreement on the use of it with the owner is required. If no agreement has been concluded, deeper (more unfavorable) calculation depths must be used for the static calculations (see Technical Conditions (Technische Rahmenbedingungen) HWS-Bau, Section 3.7.2)
If applicable, a copy of the agreement must be submitted with the grant application. In addition, this agreement is an important requirement for the polder approval procedure if the supporting function of a waterfront structure is used.

A template usage agreement (contract) is available to you  here . Please also contact the appropriate division at HPA:

Embankments
Mrs. Pfeiffer, HPA L211-1, Neuer Wandrahm 4, 20457 Hamburg,
Phone: +49 40 428 47 2169, e-mail: doerte.pfeiffer@hpa.hamburg.de

Quaysides
Mrs. Gerken, HPA EP251, Neuer Wandrahm 4, 20457 Hamburg,
Phone: +49 40 428 47 4171, e-mail: dunja.gerken@hpa.hamburg.de


Mr. Hofmann, HPA EP252, Neuer Wandrahm 4, 20457 Hamburg,
Phone: +49 40 428 47 4202, e-mail: jan.hofmann@hpa.hamburg.de

Bridge abutments
Mr. Buhr, HPA L222-1, Neuer Wandrahm 4, 20457 Hamburg,
Phone: +49 40 428 47 3166, e-mail: tomas.buhr@hpa.hamburg.de

Bridges
Mr. Wierzewski, HPA L231-2, Neuer Wandrahm 4, 20457 Hamburg,
Phone: 428 47 2577, e-mail: Sven.Wierzewski@hpa.hamburg.de

Which permits are required for construction?

An official planning approval in line with flood and water management laws or a building permit in line with flood and water management laws is required for construction, substantial modification, or removal of flood defence facilities.

For construction of property protection facilities, a building permit is required under the Hamburg building code. An intensive official building approval process must generally be followed. Even in cases for which a simplified building approval process can be followed, the intensive building approval process service should be used.

If a simplified building approval process (without intensive/concentrated effects) is followed in the Elbe flood zone, other permits become necessary, for example a permit under water law.

Where can an application be submitted?

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