General & project data
The project "LIFE IP IRIS AUSTRIA - Integrated River Solutions in Austria" (LIFE IP IRIS) is the first integrated LIFE project in Austria. The EU-funded project supports integrative planning approaches as a new way to ecologically renaturalize our rivers while improving flood protection. The integrative river basin management aligns the objectives and programs of measures of the National Water Management Plan (according to the EU Water Framework Directive) with those of the National Flood Risk Management Plan (according to the EU Flood Directive) and also takes into account other uses of the rivers. For this purpose, the planning instrument "Watercourse Development and Risk Management Concept" (GE-RM) was developed. This planning tool will be extensively tested in seven Austrian river basins within the framework of the project. By means of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral planning processes, guiding principles and concepts of measures are developed for river courses with a total length of almost 600 km. Structural river restoration measures to improve ecological status as well as flood protection are also implemented as part of the project.
A total of 16.5 million euros will be available over the next 9 years, 10 million of which will come from the EU. The project is managed by the Environment and Water Management Section of the BML. Project partners are the hydraulic engineering administrations of Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Burgenland as well as viadonau and the Federal Environment Agency. The IRIS project is designed for 9 years and includes 4 phases. The focus of the first phase until 2021 is the elaboration of the water development and risk management concepts (GE-RM) in the pilot regions. On the Upper Danube and the Lower Traun, this will be done jointly by the State of Upper Austria and viadonau. In project phases 2 (2022-2023) and 3 (2024-2025), the river engineering measures will be planned and implemented in detail. viadonau is responsible for the extension of the tributary in the Ottensheimer Marktau. In the final project phase 4 (2026-2027), the project results will be summarized and evaluated. Finally, based on the findings of the IRIS project, the guideline for the preparation of GE-RM concepts will be revised and recommendations for the future application of GE-RM planning in Austria will be derived.
The Danube in Upper Austria:
safe and livable
Since 2022, the Danube in Upper Austria has a water development and risk management concept that forms the basis for the sustainable development of the river in the coming decades. The concept was developed together with the state of Upper Austria and is also available on the LIFE IRIS website (german).
Partners
Duration & Budget
January 2019 – December 2027
Budget: 16.5 million EUR
Latest & Project Status
- The project "LIFE IP IRIS AUSTRIA - Integrated River Solutions in Austria" (LIFE IP IRIS) is the first integrated LIFE project in Austria under the leadership of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management. Duration 2019-2027, investment volume 16.5 million euros, of which 10 million from the EU. Project partners are the hydraulic engineering administrations of the states of Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Burgenland as well as viadonau and the Federal Environment Agency.
- The focus of the first phase was the elaboration of the watercourse development and risk management concepts (GE-RM) in the pilot regions. On the Upper Danube and the Lower Traun, this was carried out jointly by the State of Upper Austria and viadonau. On the Upper Danube, 73 existing measures were evaluated, a need for action was derived and a renaturation potential for about 170 new measures was developed. After holding several workshops and information events, the coordinated GE-RM concept has been available since the end of 2022.
- In project phases 2 and 3 (2022-2025), the river engineering measures will be planned and implemented in detail. viadonau is responsible for the 400 m long extension of the tributary in the Ottensheimer Marktau. The revision and hydraulic modeling of the submission project are essentially completed. The official submission is planned for June 2023.
- In the final project phase 4 (2026-2027), the project results will be summarized and evaluated. Finally, based on the findings of the IRIS project, the guideline for the preparation of GE-RM concepts will be revised and recommendations for the future application of GE-RM planning in Austria will be derived.
Activities
13.07.2023
During a boat trip at Aschach (Upper Austria), representatives of BOKU Vienna (IWA), the state of Upper Austria, the planning offices (Zauner and Riocom) and VHP (Austrian energy provider) inspected existing renaturation measures on the basis of the GE-RM Danube Upper Austria and agreed on future projects in the field of renaturation and solids management as well as a possible cooperation.
