FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRIA CLEMENS NEUHOLD AUSTRIAN FEDERAL MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABILITY AND TOURISM

Transcription

1 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRIA CLEMENS NEUHOLD AUSTRIAN FEDERAL MINISTRY OF SUSTAINABILITY AND TOURISM

2 HYDROLOGY - CATCHMENTS --- Danube (96%) --- Rhine (3%) --- Elbe (1%) Danube River: Length: 2857 km Catchment Area: km² Population: 90 Mio. Vienna

3 HYDROLOGY - CATCHMENTS

4 DANUBE IN AUSTRIA Area of Austria: km² Danube Catchment Area: km² 100-years flood: ~ m³/s Power generation: 60 TWh

5 THE DANUBE IN VIENNA Highly dynamic system in former times Straightening and river training --- Enhance navigation --- Develop agriculture --- Restrain the river --- Bow to land use pressure ---

6 TOPOGRAPHY, BOUNDARY CONDITIONS Austria is prone to floods with different characteristics --- Alpine region (high precipitation, high flow velocities, sediment transport, short lead time) --- Valleys (high vulnerability due to settlements, infrastructure, industry) --- Low land (long flood durations) --- Flash floods --- Pluvial floods --- Mud flows ---

7 CHARACTERISTICS / BOUNDARY CONDITIONS --- Austria: 2/3 alpine; 37 % available for permanent settlement (valleys) --- pot. high precipitation (altitude) Pustertal / Lesachtal (Tyrol) ( by K-LR, S.Tichy)

8 WATER BALANCE OF AUSTRIA ( ) Strong trend with elevation Range: ~ mm/a Precipitation ~ mm Total Evapotranspiration ~ 5 00 mm Evaporation of surface waters Evaporation Transpiration Evaporation/Agriculture and water consumption ~ 8 mm ~ 95 mm ~ 390 mm ~ 7 mm Inflow from abroad ~ 3 10 mm Total Runoff abroad ~ 88 0 mm Subsurface runoff abroad ~ 30 mm Irrigation ~ 2 mm Extraction industry ~ 20 mm Extraction household s ~ 6,5 mm Sewage household ~ 6 mm Sewage industry ~ 18 mm

9 CHARACTERISTICS / BOUNDARY CONDITIONS --- Austria: ~ 50% forested area --- high population densities Pustertal / Lesachtal (Tyrol) ( by K-LR, S.Tichy)

10 CHARACTERISTICS / BOUNDARY CONDITIONS --- numerous pressures from different natural hazards such as floods, avalanches, mud flows, etc. --- limited areas for settlements and development (including high population densities) --- need for protection / risk management --- NWRM not an easy task Pustertal / Lesachtal (Tyrol) ( by K-LR, S.Tichy)

11 GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR FLOOD PROTECTION --- No deterioration downstream --- Avoidance of erosion and discharge increase --- Adaptation of land use to floods --- Support of water retention and bed load balance --- Conservation and reactivation of natural run-off and retention areas --- Ecological functioning of water bodies --- Preferential use of near-natural methods --- Consideration of river basin / catchment scale when implementing measures

12 HIERARCHY OF MEASURES FOR FUNDING --- Passive (non-structural) flood protection has priority over active (structural) measures --- Measures in the catchment area (land use adaptation, avoidance of sealing, etc.) have priority over measures at / along the main channel --- Retention measures have priority over linear structural measures --- Natural and near-natural methods of building have priority over technical methods

13 FIRST CHOICE NON-STRUCTURAL MEASURES --- Avoidance of activities which may increase hazard --- Adapting to events of exceedance (design level) and failure --- Governmental acquisition of land To keep free from settlement and development To exchange for land needed in the frame of implementing new measures (such as giving more room for the rivers) --- Flood aware settlement and development (where possible) transposition of land use to areas with low flood risk (outside 300-years flood inundation) --- Use, maintenance, adaptation of existing retention areas Retention areas available in AT ~ 110 Mio. m³ Creation of new retention areas in 2012 ~ 3 Mio. m³

14 MONITORING 955 rain gauges 750 for snow depth 590 for air temperature 3050 Groundwater level 350 Groundwater temperature 73 Springs (runoff) 10 unsaturated zone Legend Symbol/Colour low water mean flow condition heightened flow Flood (level 1: HQ 1 -HQ 10 ) Flood (level 2: HQ 10 -HQ 30 ) Flood (level 3: > HQ 30 ) 800 gauges (water level) 700 for discharge observation 270 for water temperature 30 for suspended sediments

15 CURRENT EXTREME FLOOD EVENTS 2002 > HQ100 2 peaks Concentrated north of the Danube Direct damages of 3.2 Bio > HQ100 1 peak, higher volume and discharge Concentrated south of the Danube Direct damages of 0.9 Bio. (despite higher discharges lower damages)

16 IMMEDIATE RESPOSE TO FLOOD EVENTS flood event: Joint research project Flood Risk flood event: Joint research project Flood Risk II --- Implementation of EU Floods Directive --- Joint research project CEframe for transboundary and border rivers --- Joint research project Danube Flood Risk developing flood hazard and flood risk maps for the Danube flood event: Joint research project Evaluation of Flood Risk I+II --- Implementation of the EU Floods Directive on Level A for the Danube, Rhine and Elbe Rivers (ICPDR, ICPR, ICPER, River Commissions) --- National support for EFAS (European Flood Alert System - JRC)

17 DECREASE OF DIRECT DAMAGES DUE TO --- Lessons learnt from 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, --- Improved flood forecasting and early warning --- Emergency response --- International cooperation --- Enhanced flood retention --- Relocation, flood-aware spatial planning --- Improved flood protection --- Flood characteristics --- Fortune / defined design level

18 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Broad bundle of management concepts --- Risk assessment Hazard zone planning accompanied by floodaware spatial planning --- Provide room for the rivers --- High vulnerability protection AND compensation of lost retention (Water Law) --- Availability of land retention (availability of retention area in Austria ~ 110 Mio. m³, in 2012: creation of more than 3 Mio. m³) --- Relocation or adaptation

19 FLOOD FORECASTING DEMOUNTABLE BARRIERS Upper Austria Donau Lower Austria March Salzburg Bregenzer Ach Vorarlberg Tyrol Inn Salzach Enns Styria Burgenland Carinthia Raab Mur Drau

20 WEB SERVICES: REAL TIME GAUGE INFORMATION Map Aktuelle Pegeldaten Österreichs Legend Symbol/Colour low water mean flow condition heightened flow Flood (level 1: HQ 1 -HQ 10 ) Flood (level 2: HQ 10 -HQ 30 ) Flood (level 3: > HQ 30 )

21 WEB SERVICES: FORECAST INFORMATION The Hydrological Service for Lower Austria publishes its forecast-information in the Internet:

22 COOPERATION IN FLOOD FORECASTING --- Forecasting and early warning work very well --- Nevertheless, constant ambition to improve models and approaches

23 INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH Several actors risk management well coordinated ÖROK Federal commission on spatial planning International coordination DG ENV working group on floods, WG F ICPDR, ICPR, ICPER, BMI Federal Ministry of the Interior Umweltbundesamt Federal environmental agency PLC Provincial departments Water Management Flood Protection Spatial Planning Emergency Management Experts Stakeholders Consultants Researchers Civil protection

24 INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH - INVESTMENTS Since the 2002 flood event approx. 2 Bio. had been invested by the Federal State for protection measures. Complementary investments had been provided by provinces and municipalities. In the aftermath of the 2013 event it had been agreed upon to increase the investments by the BMLFUW to 200 Mio. /year (2011: 147 Mio. )

25 EU FLOODS DIRECTIVE --- Political agreement under Austria s EU presidency, triggered by 2002, 2005 and 2006 flood events, --- high efforts for national implementation --- Implementation on national level in time 1. Preliminary flood risk assessment Flood hazard maps, flood risk maps Flood risk management plans PFRA & APSFR MAPS PLANS

26 PRELIMINARY FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT AND AREAS OF POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT FLOOD RISK 391 Areas identified 2650 km Analysis of km based on 300-years flood scenario

27 FLOOD HAZARD AND FLOOD RISK MAPS Finalised Web-GIS Flood hazard maps where available Flood risk maps for APSFR

28 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS step procedure due to federal system --- Appropriate objectives Avoidance of new risks Reduction of existing risks Strengthening resilience Raising awareness --- Measures (22 measures referring to risk circle and appropriate objectives) --- Prioritisation

29 FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS M01: Compilation and update of hazard zone plans M02: Incorporation of hazard zone plans M03: Development of concepts, plans, projects, strategies on catchment scale to improve the water and sediment balance M04: Compilation and incorporation of local and regional land use planning strategies M05: Definition of a framework for implementation and maintenance of flood protection and mitigation measures. M06: Improvement of retention capacity on catchment scale M07: Restoration of flood plains and sedimentation areas M08: Structural protection measures M09: Object oriented measures M10: Relocation and reallocation M11: Improvement of river inspection M12: Maintenance of protection and mitigation measures, river maintenance M13: Definition of operating instructions for flood prone and flood influencing facilities M14: Information of public in an appropriate way M15: Improve participation M16: Educational activities M17: Implementation of monitoring, forecasting, warning systems M18: Compilation of emergency plans M19: Ensure availability of facilities for emergency M20: Emergency response M21: Evaluation and repair of damages M22: Documentation and analysis

30 INTERNATIONAL FRMP

31 LINKS FD-WFD: REASONS FOR COORDINATION --- Specific coordination offers the opportunity to optimising synergies and minimising conflicts --- Overlap of legal and planning instruments (at least in Austria ) --- Both directives promote a catchment based approach --- Potential in aiding the (resource) efficiency of implementing measures --- Improved identification of win-win measures (influence on cost-benefit analyses) --- Foster integrated approach

32 LINKS FD-WFD: REASONS FOR COORDINATION --- A step to a holistic approach in water management --- FHRM could contain information for e.g. morphological pressures --- Active involvement of interested parties FD-WFD coordination --- Presenting information to the public in one place --- Collecting data once --- Identify areas where measures can meet both FD and WFD --- Integrated river basin management --- There are many measures that aim to reduce flood risk having multiple benefits for water quality, nature and biodiversity, regulating water flows and groundwater recharge --- River and flood plain restoration

33 LINKS FD-WFD: CONCLUSIONS --- Links are generally discussed on an administrative level --- Already a strong link due to wording, approach, implementation cycle Impacts vs. preliminary flood risk assessment Environmental objectives vs. appropriate objectives Programme of measures vs. measures Reaching good status vs. reducing adverse consequences --- joint reporting?? Links work quite well in practice!!

34 34 Best Practice Machland Hackel, IV/W3 Flood plain by-out and relocation as part of an integrated Flood Management Experiences from the Upper-Austrian Machland

35 35 Best Practice Machland Hackel, IV/W3 Financed by: Federal law for funding of hydraulic constructions (1985) Basis for the amount of the funding is the estimated current value of the object and the estimated damage costs Amount of the 80% funding: 92,4 Mio. 250 objects Mio. for flood protection and demountable barriers 50% by the state : 57,75 Mio. 30% by the federal state: 34,65 Mio.

36 36 Best Practice Machland Hackel, IV/W3 The most important conditions: Participation is voluntary 5-year time and financing scale New buildings must be outside the HQ-100 flood area Area is prohibited for new buildings Former building area rededicated to grassland

37 Recommendations: Flood plain by out should start immediately after the incidence Relocation is voluntary and saves time Excellent team work between state, federal state and municipality are essential The more often floods occur the better the this solution works Objectives and targets of the measure must be clear and fully transparent The population has to be partner and communication is the key No exceptions from the defined conditions

38 SUMMARY --- Settlements, Cities, Industry mostly protected against 100-years flood and higher (e.g. Vienna) --- Flood damages - often - to a better part related to tributaries of Danube, Rhine and Elbe --- Due to design level (HQ100) we were lucky in 2013 a few centimetres below upper edge of demountable barriers and dyke crests --- Measures set since 2002 (as well as different flood characteristics compared to 2002) showed effects in decrease of direct losses from 3.2 Bio. to 870 Mio.

39 SUMMARY --- Due to land use pressure (permanent settlement) we often need to protect by structural measures --- Flood risk management approach --- Interdisciplinary approach --- Hazard zone planning --- Flood aware spatial planning --- Emergency planning including early warning --- Avoidance instead of adaptation --- Room for the rivers ---

40 SUMMARY --- In Austria NWRM in general are costly (due to mentioned boundary conditions) and do not have the best benefit cost ratios --- Indirect and intangible benefits are hard to be assessed reliably nevertheless, we know that NWRM pay off in terms of recreation, ecology, implementation of the WFD, flood risk reduction, etc. --- Although, these measures are costly numerous projects have been implemented in Austria --- In Austria the philosophy (and priority setting) is that if it s possible nature oriented measures have to be implemented and funded of course when the comparativeness is given.

41 THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION! QUESTIONS? CLEMENS NEUHOLD