Küsten Canal, Summit level canal through Oldenburg and Cloppenburg, Germany.
The Küsten Canal is a 69.6 km federal waterway running west from the Hunte at Oldenburg to the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Dörpen. It crosses the watershed between the Ems and Weser basins at the Mosleshöhe near Friedrichsfehn and passes south of the Ammerland. Its summit pound is closed by the Oldenburg lock, with a fall of up to 5.40 m, and the Dörpen lock, with 1.20 m. It has 31 bridges, 14 culverts and 4.50 m clearance.
The canal was built between 1922 and 1935, developed from the expansion of an existing drainage channel. Its completion created an important link for regional cargo transport by water.
The waterway earned military recognition when Canadian and Polish forces conducted strategic operations across its waters during April 1945.
The canal accommodates larger cargo vessels with adequate depth and features locks to manage elevation changes. Traveling through requires basic familiarity with lock operations and offers good visibility across the landscape.
The canal's summit pound is fed by a catchment of 1,045 km² south of the channel, of which 237 km² drain directly into it to supply the 63 km long summit level; water from the Hunte is added when needed. Flood peaks from the Sagter Ems, Soeste and Vehne are diverted into the canal and led off in roughly equal parts to the Ems and the Hunte.
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