An improved bed load management for the Danube River in the Donau-Auen National Park. An application of the ‘principle Sisyphus'
Gerhard Klasz, Consulting Engineer, Vienna & Vienna University of Technology (AT)
The Danube River east of Vienna has been strongly affected by bedload deficit due to human impacts. The river is incising, the connectivity between channel and side-arms and floodplains is decreasing. In 1996 a first stage of a bed load management was implemented. However, this was not sufficient to stop degradation. In recent years a concept for an optimized bed load management has been developed, including the recirculation of bed load and the addition of coarser, less mobile gravel, thus the problem should be solved. However, the question emerges whether a permanent artificial bed load supply to such an extent and over unlimited duration can be truly compatible with the idea of a national park.