BOKU model tests how rivers can withstand floods and drought

Researchers at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna are using a physical model to test ways of keeping rivers stable during floods and droughts, ORF reported. The findings are intended to guide river management in Lower Austria.

Lower Austria experienced severe flooding in 2024 and an extremely dry summer with low river levels in 2026. Researchers say the effects of such weather events also depend on how rivers are regulated.

The team is studying how a river’s width and the amount of sediment flowing into it affect its stability, said Helmut Habersack, head of the university’s Water Engineering Laboratory. The aim is to find a combination that prevents the riverbed from eroding downward, which can worsen both flooding and low-water conditions.

Historical records can help researchers understand how rivers behaved in the past, said Gertrud Haidvogel of the university’s Institute of Hydrobiology. Her citizen science project collects evidence of historic floods, including flood marks, photographs and extracts from chronicles. The records can help establish how often extreme floods occurred and identify rivers in Lower Austria that warrant closer study.

The Water Engineering Laboratory, described by ORF as a unique research facility in Europe, cost about 49 million euros. Lower Austria contributed 4.5 million euros. Deputy state governor Stephan Pernkopf said the research would be applied to flood protection in municipalities.

Researchers are also studying water quality and supply. Floods can contaminate drinking water, while prolonged dry spells can put pressure on supplies, said Claudia Kolm of the water quality department at Karl Landsteiner Private University. She said a well-developed supply network can help compensate for outages, and that Lower Austria is opening more drinking-water well fields and connecting the system. She also urged people to use water responsibly.