Flood Protection in Vienna is Being Expanded

"This means that the Wien River is not prepared for a thousand-year flood as before, but for a flood that statistically occurs only every 5,000 years," said Ulli Sima (SPÖ), the city councilor responsible for Vienna's waters, on Monday regarding the expansion of flood protection in Vienna.

Flood Protection: Weir Walls of the Auhof Basins Will Be Raised

The Auhof basins between the 13th and 14th districts of Vienna are part of the Wien River regulation and protect the city from sudden flood waves. During floods, the retention basins store large amounts of water until the level of the Wien River drops and the water can safely flow away. "Climate change not only leads to increasingly hotter summers but also to more frequent and extreme heavy rainfall events. What was previously considered a thousand-year flood may occur much more often in the future. Therefore, the city of Vienna is taking precautions, modernizing, and strengthening the retention basins specifically for floods that were previously expected only every 5,000 years," said NEOS Vienna environmental spokesperson Angelika Pipal-Leixner.

Vienna Also Strengthens Flood Protection on the Danube Canal

In addition to raising the weir walls in Auhof, measures are also being implemented in other areas. For example, the flood wall at the Danube Canal is being reinforced towards the subway to prevent possible backflow. A new protective wall will also be built next year in Ludwiggasse in Vienna-Penzing. Flood protection is also being improved and expanded on the Liesingbach.

Danube Flood Protection Works Reliably

Initially controversial when built in the 1970s, the Vienna Danube Island and the New Danube are now, according to the city of Vienna, proving to be a comprehensively functioning flood protection facility. Three weir systems in the New Danube regulate the water masses during a Danube flood. As part of regular inspections, the Danube flood protection is subjected to a technical review and fully maintained. So far, all flood events in the Vienna catchment area of the Danube have been managed without significant damage.

More on Vienna's Urban Development

(APA/Red)

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