At a glance - From the old dam system to modern flood protection
The dam system Marchfeldschutzdamm was already built at the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century in the course of the Danube regulation. To ensure that it continues to provide effective flood protection for the population in Vienna and Lower Austria, the "Danube Flood Control Agency (DHK)" (Donauhochwasserschutz-Konkurrenz DHK) ensures reliable maintenance and rehabilitation of the flood protection facilities, thus optimising flood safety for around 30,000 citizens in 12 municipalities.
The rehabilitation measures include in particular:
- Installation of a sealing wall to prevent flow through the dam,
- Installation of gravel columns to prevent hydraulic ground failure on the air side,
- Designation of protective strips along the embankment on the land and water sides, which are kept free of trees,
- as well as an elevation in parts of the existing dam so that a uniform level of protection is achieved.
All necessary rehabilitation measures have to be carried out in a very complex environment. For example, large areas of the Marchfeld protection dam are located in nature conservation areas (Danube Floodplain National Park or Natura 2000 areas). The Danube cycle path also runs directly on the dam and must therefore be diverted over a large area during the construction phase.
The DHK emerged from the so-called "Danube Regulation Commission" in 1927. Its task was to maintain protection and dam structures. It consists of the three curiae: the federal government, the province of Lower Austria and the city of Vienna. The managing body is viadonau.
