Symbolic groundbreaking for flood protection in Zwettl: a milestone!

Symbolic groundbreaking for flood protection in Zwettl: a milestone!

In Zwettl on the Rodl, the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony recently was set for an extremely important project in the field of flood protection. After over 50 years of intensive planning work and numerous setbacks, the time has finally come: The construction of a retention basin in the Distltal should make a decisive contribution to the protection of the population. Mayor Roland Maureder emphasized the urgency of the project, especially with regard to the devastating flood events in 1954, 1958, 1973 and 1987, which have hit the region hard. According to MeinDZIRK The first ideas for this project are brought back to the 1970s.

"On our rivers you can't just leave fate," said Maureder. The first attempt to implement the project took place in 2001, but was rejected for hydrological reasons. The solution now realized includes a retention basin, which is intended to reduce the drain tip of the Distlbach with an HQ100 (flood of the statistically in a hundred years) from 55 to 21 m³/s. Due to the planned retention volume of 660,000 m³ and a flood area of ​​23 hectares, a total of 53 objects and around 355 people are to be protected from flooding. In addition to the retention basin, flanking measures such as protective walls, dams and bridges are also planned to further increase security. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism emphasizes that a swimmer-controlled throttle facility is used around the flood To effectively reduce the retention basin.

financing and implementation

The total costs of the project amount to around 7.874 million euros. Half of the funding is carried out by the federal government, 40 percent from the state of Upper Austria as well as 10 percent from the municipalities and the flood protection association. Construction work on the retention basin will start shortly, while the measures at the Schauerbach should start in 2026. The completion of the flood protection system is planned by the end of 2027. The Federal Office for Nature Conservation points out that human activities such as surface sealing and straightening of rivers increase, which makes the importance of such protective measures all the more.

The willingness to cooperate The landowner has proven to be the key factor for the feasibility of the project. The thanks go to everyone involved who have campaigned over the years to advance Vwasser protection in the region. "We are happy that we can finally start the implementation of this important project," said Maureder. This shows once again that even over long periods of time patience and endurance can bear fruits.

The expectations of flood protection in the Distltal are high, and the role model effect of this project is also recognized by federal and state politics. For the population of Zwettl on the Rodl, this project will have a noticeable positive effects in the coming years - a piece of more security can now be expected in your own four walls.