Overview of the measures
VERBUND and its partners are implementing measures on the Austrian and Bavarian sections of the Danube and Inn in the project LIFE Blue Belt Danube Inn. The planned LIFE project aims at connecting precious habitats on the Inn and Danube with each other and improving the habitat conditions within the Natura 2000 areas.
Fish passes and land restoration
LIFE Blue Belt Danube Inn connects existing land restoration projects on the Danube and Inn. The Jochenstein and Schärding-Neuhaus power plants are getting bypass rivers. The Danube power plants at Ybbs-Persenbeug and Aschach will get smaller bypass rivers. The Passau-Ingling power plant will be passable to fish by means of a slot pass. Near-natural bank structures and targeted dredging in the storage areas are additionally improving the ecological conditions along the Inn and Danube.
Fish passes: how a power plant becomes passable
The two most-used kinds of fish pass are a near-natural bypass river and a technical solution with artificial ponds. Sometimes, both methods are combined. In the case of the LIFE Blue Belt Danube Inn project, both near-natural bypass rivers are being built, as are so-called “slot passes”. This depends on the design of a power plant and the available space. In general, bypass rivers are preferred, as they also provide additional habitat for fish and other animals.
Fish passes at VERBUND