Vienna expands Danube Island pumping station after 2024 floods
Monday 19th October 2026 on 11:45 in
Austria
Vienna has expanded the Danube Island wastewater pumping station, increasing its capacity to move up to 60,000 litres of water per second. The city announced the upgrade, ORF reported on Monday.
A new rainwater pump can handle up to 15,000 litres per second. The city said it is the largest pump of its kind in Europe. Before the expansion, the station had three wastewater pumps and six rainwater pumps, with a combined capacity of up to 45,000 litres per second.
Plans for the expansion began after severe flooding in September 2024, Climate City Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky said. The city said its sewer network controls, underground storage facilities and pumps helped prevent worse damage during the floods. The upgrades are intended to improve protection from heavy rain in Floridsdorf and Donaustadt.
The control room’s information technology has also been updated. It digitally manages Vienna’s 2,500-kilometre sewer network, using flow data from about 700 measuring points and rainfall readings from 35 stations. The network carries around 500 million litres of wastewater each day.
The city invested 18 million euros in the work. The station’s electrical systems were upgraded so motor speeds can be adjusted to water volumes, which is expected to reduce wear and save energy. The building was renovated, fitted with rooftop solar panels and switched from oil heating to a heat pump.
Wien Kanal, the city’s sewer utility, is planning an underground storage basin on Danube Island with capacity for 100 million litres of wastewater, as well as a second pipeline beneath the Danube to the wastewater treatment plant in Simmering. The basin would temporarily hold wastewater if a pumping station failed and help reduce discharges into the Danube during rain. The additional pipeline would provide backup if the existing one could not operate normally.
The pumping station was built between 1970 and 1980 as part of the construction of Danube Island. It is a key junction for wastewater disposal in Floridsdorf and Donaustadt. In dry weather, it transports up to 2,000 litres per second beneath the Danube to the Simmering treatment plant. During heavy rain, mixed wastewater and rainwater can be discharged into the Danube to relieve the sewer network and help prevent street flooding.