Because of climate change

Danube water to save the grapes in the Traisental valley

Juicy grapes from the Traisental - without additional water, viticulture in this region is under threat.(Bild: ROLAND SCHLAGER)

A well-known wine-growing region in Lower Austria is in danger. The Traisental valley must be saved from drying out by an elaborate irrigation project. This is to be achieved with water from the Danube.

Climate change is threatening a well-known wine-growing region in Lower Austria. The "Aqua Repono" project - Latin for "water reservoir" - aims to prevent the Traisental valley from drying out. "Water is to be transported from the Danube to the vineyards via a kilometer-long pipeline," explains Markus Huber. The winegrower from Nußdorf ob der Traisen, St. Pölten district, is also chairman of the responsible water cooperative.

Winemaker Markus Huber(Bild: ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Heat exacerbates the situation
With increasing heat, the situation threatens to get worse. "Plants need more water because of the higher temperatures," says Huber. But that is not the case. "Because heavy rainfall is becoming more frequent. The soil can't absorb that much water in a short space of time, it runs off," explains Michaela Griesser from BOKU.

Pipeline construction already approved
"Aqua Repono" is intended to keep the water in the region in the long term and enable viticulture and fruit growing there in the future. Wells will be installed in the vicinity of the Danube and the water will be piped to the vineyards, where the vines will be irrigated drop by drop. "The pumps will be powered by solar energy," says Huber. Construction is scheduled to begin in late fall.