Detailed planning starts

Better protection against flooding in Neumarkt

David Egger in front of the weir. It is not in good condition and urgently needs to be replaced.(Bild: Stadtgemeinde Neumarkt)

The Wallersee municipality sets the course for a new weir and retention basin. Construction of the 15 million euro project could start at the end of 2026.

The mayor of Neumarkt, David Egger, speaks of a project of the century: flood protection in the Wallersee municipality. The Schwaighofer weir is already undermined and therefore in a disastrous condition. However, repairing the system alone is out of the question. "The federal government has already told us: It's all or nothing," says Egger. A large wall is to be built next to the weir and two retention basins will be constructed. According to initial estimates, this will cost around 15 million euros. A large part of this is to be borne by the federal and state governments. Neumarkt will have to pay around 20 percent.

The tendering process for the detailed planning is now starting. Negotiations with landowners still need to be conducted. "If everything goes well, construction could start at the end of 2026 or in 2027," says the city boss. For him, time is pressing due to the increasingly severe storms: "I don't want to have to say at some point: we should have done it sooner."