The Traisen currently runs in a regulated bed that does not allow the river to unfold and continues to deepen year after year. Over the next four years, experts will create meanders, shallow water zones and pools along the course of the river and in the landscape according to a detailed plan.
The aim of the LIFE+ Traisen project is to restore a diverse floodplain landscape that can be left to its own devices and the cycle of nature. Not only nature benefits from the ecological diversity of the Traisen, but also the neighboring communities, fishermen and tourists.
Background information
Project financing: A total of around EUR 26.5 million is being invested in a unique ecological upgrade. VERBUND is bearing the lion's share of the costs with 12 million euros. The EU is funding the project to a large extent from the LIFE+Nature and Biodiversity Fund. The remaining costs are borne by the project partners, such as the Lower Austrian Fisheries Association, the Lower Austrian Landscape Fund, via donau and the Federal Water Engineering Administration.
Project objective: In accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive, water bodies with power plants must be made "fish passable" so that the natural migration of fish can take place upstream and downstream. The redesigned course of the Traisen will enable fish to "bypass" the Altenwörth power plant and will also provide suitable spawning grounds.
NH audit: Our sustainability report has been externally audited by auditors specializing in sustainability since 2003. The accuracy of the published data and the veracity of our statements are checked over a period of around 5 days. This is supplemented by excursions to sites to check the implementation of legal regulations, internal guidelines and standards. In recent years, our auditors have visited the Limberg II and Reißeck II construction sites, the Dürnrohr and Mellach thermal power plants and the Inn power plant in Töging, among others.
