Authorities outline plans for Kölnbrein dam failure

ORF reports that emergency plans are in place for a possible failure of the Kölnbrein dam in the Malt Valley. Up to 200 million litres of water could flow towards Villach if the dam broke.

A disaster like the devastating mudslide in Nepal and Tibet caused by a detached section of glacier is not possible in this form in Carinthia, but the region has alarm plans for several scenarios.

If people along the Malta, Lieser and Drau rivers were at risk, warnings could be issued through civil protection sirens, the IT-Alert system on mobile phones, announcements on ORF radio and information on other ORF channels.

The basic outlet of the large Kölnbrein reservoir is tested every year. It can reduce pressure on the dam, but completely emptying the reservoir would take weeks.

If sensors detect a risk to the 200-metre-high dam or another structure in the power plant group, they trigger the first alarm. Verbund then informs the Spittal district authority, the state government and the state emergency and warning centre.

A three-minute continuous siren means a warning, not an immediate alarm. People should prepare, help others and follow the authorities’ instructions.

ORF is required to relay official information quickly and is therefore an important communication channel alongside IT-Alert, said Christian Gamsler, the state’s disaster protection officer. A flood-wave emergency would be handled like any other civil protection alert.

The state last practised a flood-wave warning with the municipalities that would be affected in an emergency in 2017, Gamsler said. A siren signal that rises and falls for one minute means an actual alarm, and people should immediately seek shelter.

The Spittal district authority would have primary responsibility in such a scenario. It also holds plans showing which areas would be flooded in an emergency, including if the dam high above the Malt Valley broke.