Charged with the task of ensuring the smooth operation of the Danube waterway, and acting in accordance with § 10 para. 1 and 2 of the Waterways Act (WaStG), viadonau's responsibilities as Federal Waterway Administration include:
- the implementation of hydraulic engineering maintenance work on the waterways of the Danube, Traun, Enns, March and the Danube Canal (dredging and hydraulic structures) and the fulfilment of the Republic of Austria's obligations to maintain the waterways and remove bottlenecks in accordance with guidelines as laid down by the European Union,
- the marking of the waterway, i.e. the procurement, installation, maintenance, servicing and removal of waterway signs and marks, including lights, accessories and system components,
- traffic regulation at locks of river power plants (carried out as a sovereign task of the Federal Republic) and
- the monitoring of the status of the water by means of hydrographic (including riverbed surveying) and hydrological (e.g. water gauges) measurement technology.