In Seekirchen

Waiting for the decision on flood protection

September 2024: Flooding occurred again in the Wallersee town of Seekirchen(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Construction could start in Seekirchen in 2026. Estimates meanwhile put the costs at 19 million euros. Water law negotiations should be held in January at the latest.

We hope that the water law negotiations for the planned flood protection will take place in January at the latest," says Seekirchen Mayor Konrad Pieringer (ÖVP). If the project is approved, construction is likely to start in 2026. This is because the tenders still have to be issued before then.

There is now a long history surrounding the protection. "This was already addressed by the city in 2013," says Pieringer. He himself was still deputy mayor of the Wallersee town at the time. Since he took over the highest office in 2019, the issue has gained momentum. A clear plan was quickly drawn up. However, this failed due to the approval of two landowners. Planning could only continue after the compulsory easement was agreed in December 2020.

"We realized that we had to redesign because the retention basins were too small," explains the head of the town. And we also had to renegotiate with the landowners again.

Two new basins are to collect water masses
The entire project was finally submitted in May 2023. Geotechnical investigations and uncertainties regarding bridges had to be submitted later.

A total of around 19 million euros will be invested, two new retention basins will be built and two existing retention basins will be enlarged. Work will also be carried out on the Fischach. Structural measures will be implemented to improve the flow of the river. To date, around 500,000 euros have been invested in the planning of the protection project.