Revised project

Pinzgau hopes for speed in flood protection

The last time there was severe flooding in Oberpinzgau was in summer 2023.

(Bild: EXPA/ JFK)

In the revised protection project in the Tauern valleys in Oberpinzgau, the plans for the Hintersee in Mittersill are the most advanced. Time is of the essence.

On Friday evening, several hundred people from Pinzgau found out about the province's revised plans for flood protection in Oberpinzgau. As reported, additional measures are needed in the Krimmler Achental valley in particular. However, concrete implementation steps may still take some time. Negotiations with landowners are still ongoing. It is uncertain when these will be concluded.

The situation is different for Hintersee in Mittersill's Felbertal. "This is the first project to be actively tackled," says Mittersill's mayor Thomas Ellmauer. There, a dam from the 1970s is to be raised by three meters. "There are not many questions left unanswered. They should be clarified this year. Implementation could start next year," explains Ellmauer. There is no alternative to flood protection for the Oberpinzgau region, Ellmauer is certain: "This is vital for us and our future generations."

Large retention basin planned in Hollersbach
A further retention basin with a capacity of 800,000 cubic meters is also planned in Hollersbach. "We are glad that something is being done and that we are now getting things moving," says Hollersbach mayor Sieglinde Islitzer-Lerch. The people of Oberpinzgau are aware that time is pressing.

"It would be good if we were already prepared for the next weather. But that will be tight either way," says Islitzer-Lerch. Hollersbach is involved in the first projects. However, the regional politicians were not yet able to provide a concrete timetable for the overall project at the information evening.