Rhine reopened as water levels subside

Rhine reopened as water levels subside The Rhine River reopened for shipping on all sections Sunday morning after being halted for nearly four days due to torrential rain pushing the water levels to near-critical heights.
   The upper reaches of the Rhine, on the Switzerland-Germany border, was closed Thursday when the high water meant barges were unable to pass under bridges.
   “The high water is draining off without causing any damage. We can now give the all-clear,” said a spokesman for the High Water Registration Office in Mainz, Germany.
   The 820-mile waterway accounts for about 25 percent of Europe’s inland waterborne transportation connecting the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands with France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.