FABER

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

\

3.10.1853 Meckenheim/D - 2.5.1930 Munich/D

\

Eduard Faber graduated in 1877 from the Munich Technical University as a civil engineer. He started practice with the Bavarian State Service at the Upper Rhine River close to Speyer. Whereas the river reach downstream from Basel was considered excellent following the works initiated by Johann Gottfried Tulla (1770-1828), the reaches more north were in the 1880s in a relatively poor condition. Tulla had fixed a definite river shoreline without additional elements in the river axis to reduce shore scour and had indeed "tamed" the Upper Rhine. Faber improved rivers with a less massive approach by reducing the shore slopes and adding spur dikes. In 1884 he proposed to improve Rhine River close to Germersheim for navigation purposes. Although this proposal originated in 1885, it was not considered relevant. Faber also proposed offices to collect river data, by now a standard for larger rivers.

\

Faber was a master in descriptions of morphological processes of the Rhine River. He was an expert in all matters relating to regulation processes of sediment transporting rivers. He investigated the origin of bank migration in the Upper Rhine. He also demonstrated that the "bank principle" as proposed by Heinrich Grebenau (1822-1877) was wrong, according to which a gravel bank would always stay on the side of the river thalweg but never cross the river axis. Faber realized that a meandering river adds more both to agriculture and navigation than a straight river reach. His observations were not as definite as those of Louis Fargue (1827-1910), but both may be considered pioneers of modern river re-naturalization. After a stay at the Central Office of Hydrography and Meteorology, Faber directed from 1900 to 1904 the Bavarian Technical Office for river works. From 1908 to 1918 he was at the Bavarian Ministry of Interior. He was awarded the Honorary Doctorate from the Danzig Technical University in 1920.

\

_{Dantscher, K. (1930). Eduard Faber. Wasserkraft und Wasserwirtschaft 25(11): 121. P}

_{Faber, E. (1885). Die Strombett-Regulierung des Oberrheins. Deutsche Bauzeitung 19(59): 353-355; 19(61): 365-367.}

_{Faber, E. (1897). Über neuere Methoden des Flussbaues. Danubius: Wien.}

_{Faber, E. (1917). Der öffentliche Baudienst in Bayern. Deutsche Bauzeitung 51(58): 292-294; 51(62): 314-316; 51(63): 318-320.}

_{Faber, E. (1923). Das Verhalten der beweglichen Sohle in geschiebeführenden Flüssen bei steigendem und fallendem Wasser. Bautechnik 1(15): 147-150; 2(39): 426-430.}

_{Marquardt, E. (1923). Eduard Faber. Die Bautechnik 1(47): 465-466.}