Search for the culprit

Weir malfunction put settlement under water

A malfunction of several backwater walls was responsible for 50 houses in Reichenau an der Rax being flooded.(Bild: ZVG)

In Reichenau an der Rax, the search is now on for the culprits, as a malfunction meant that half of the backwater walls of the Haaberg weir did not topple over and caused enormous damage to the surrounding settlements. Local residents fear that this is "saving money out of pure greed". 

At the end of 2023, the 130-year-old Haaberg weir on the Schwarza in Reichenau an der Rax was destroyed. The private owner, Gruber Elektrizitätswerke GmbH, erected new backwater walls. These should automatically fall over in the event of large volumes of water and allow the water to flow through.

The fact that this did not work completely last Sunday during the heavy storms and that around 50 residential buildings around the Raxstraße were flooded with mud and water is now being heavily criticized by numerous residents.

Authority confirms malfunction of the weir
An inquiry in this regard was sent to the Neunkirchen district authority on Monday - and has already been answered and confirmed: "It has been shown that due to causes that are not yet known at this time, the weir system did not break when overloaded, contrary to the static calculations," it says.

"Further steps can only be taken after the flood water has subsided and further investigations have been carried out," continues Deputy District Governor Eva Bauer. The residents in Reichenau are angry because: "Apparently, money was only saved here out of pure greed!"