The Austrian service for torrent and avalanche control’s structures database: benefits for municipalities and water associations

For nearly a decade, the Austrian Service for Torrent and Avalanche Control (Wildbach- und Lawinenverbauung (WLV)) has maintained the digital torrent and avalanche register, which brings together all relevant data concerning catchment areas, projects, hazard zone plans, certifications and natural events. The register also includes a database on protective structures (the structures module), in which every WLV structure is listed, along with its location and a fact sheet detailing its essential information. In the course of status assessments, the current condition of each structure is determined. Given the fact that, as laid out in the corresponding legislation, the responsibility for maintaining protective structures following their initial certification lies with the operators and other stakeholders (as a rule, municipalities and water associations), those structures’ current status is of considerable interest to these groups. Structures can only fulfill their protective function if their functionality has been ensured and is checked on a regular basis. In the future, the structures module could offer an important instrument for those parties responsible for maintenance, helping them to monitor the various protective structures, and to plan urgently needed repair measures in an efficient and timely manner. The following paper addresses the WLV’s basic maintenance principles, as well as the significance of its torrent and avalanche register in connection with the responsibility for maintenance.