Lake Neusiedl - Ecodynamic Rehabilitation; Considerations on the Water Quality of the Raab River

Duration:
2010 - 2014

Contact Person:
Dr. Matthias Zessner mzessner@iwag.tuwien.ac.at

Short Description

This project deals with the question, which effects an endowment with water from the river Raab can have on the water quality of Lake Neusiedl.

In the first years of the 21st century, the water level of Lake Neusiedl decreased considerably due to periods of low precipitation. Accordingly, there have been increasing considerations to endow the lake with external water resources. A number of studies have already been conducted in this regard (Donabaum & Wolfram, 2004; Kromp-Kolb et al., 2005; Verbundplan, 2005; Kubu, 2006). Even if there is currently no need for dotation of Lake Neusiedl, it cannot be ruled out that climate change will increase the probability of prolonged dry periods, which in turn could cause Lake Neusiedl to sink or even dry up.

Bank filtrate from the Danube and water from the Raab River are considered as sources for artificial dotation. However, Danube water was not considered optimal for this purpose due to its chemism. In this project the question should be answered, which effects a dotation with water from the Raab can have on the water quality of the Neusiedler See.

The results will thus shed light on another aspect in the evaluation of the possibilities of artificial dotation of the lake.