Waters are an important building block of the landscape and have shaped it over millions of years. Valley crossings can only be understood from river history. However, water bodies were and are also important for the water supply and as energy suppliers as well as the basis for landscape and species diversity and the recreational value of a region.
Water is the basis of all life. Streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and seas are the habitat of a multitude of plants and animals and important components of the natural balance. Groundwater is both a source of drinking water and a habitat.
Stream and river landscapes are very valuable for nature when they are in a natural state. Then a particularly large number of animal and plant species can live in the water and on the banks. This is because natural rivers and streams provide a great diversity. In some places the water flows faster, in some slower. Some banks are steep, some flat. There are many species of animals and plants that specialize in these different conditions. Natural riverine landscapes are also valuable to people for several reasons. When water levels are high, they can hold a lot of water, protecting against flooding. Fertile fields in the floodplains provide food, and trees on the banks provide wood. One thing is clear: we need to protect our rivers better - both from pollution by chemical waste and from the consequences of climate change.
In addition to geological relevance, the region around Aalen also shows some peculiarities with regard to its river history. Several million years ago, the Kocher, Jagst and Rems rivers flowed to the South into the Danube (Urbrenz). After the collapse of the Upper Rhine Graben (rift), the Neckar tapped more and more waters from the Danube and the rivers were flowing towards the North and West. The former river directions can still be recognized by the directions of, for example, the Lein, Rot and Rems rivers.
Between 51 and 60 percent of the world's rivers dry up at least once a year. This phenomenon is by no means limited to desert areas and particularly dry regions. Streams and rivers are part of the global water cycle, an important habitat for numerous species, an economic factor, a transport route, an energy supplier and a place of recreation. More than half of the world's population lives near these rivers, which are often critical to water supplies. The problem could affect many more people in the future.
Many people work as volunteers to protect nature along rivers and streams. For example, members of nature conservation organizations such as NABU or BUND. They often help to restore natural stream courses.
The Rombach flows first to the south, while the Sauerbach in the Urrems valley comes from the west. The confluence of these two brooks is virtually the "source of the Aal", as the brook is named Aal (eel) from here on. The Aal flows to the east until the water with the Kocher again takes the way to the north and then to the west towards the Neckar.
