The Ötztal is in danger – we must help!

by Irene Auerbach

Kaunertal Extension Project
Courtesy TIWAG

(UK) members have thrown our weight behind two petitions in Austria to prevent major ecological disasters. The first one, against the linking of the glaciated areas at the top of the upper Ötztal and upper Pitztal for skiing purposes, has succeeded - partly due to our support. The second one, against the linking of the ski areas of Vorderstoder and Hinterstoder, has not yet been decided. We are now being called to help support yet another environmentally totally unacceptable project: the expansion of the existing Kaunertal power plant. Though it takes its name from the Kaunertal, the area seriously affected would be the famous Ötztal, two valleys further east; its tributaries, the Venter and Gurgler Ache; and their tributaries, the Verwallbach and the Königsbach. The scheme involves diversion of water from these rivers to the Gepatsch reservoir in the Kaunertal via dams and tunnels.

Even before climate change started biting in Europe, the Ötztal was one of the valleys with the lowest precipitation in Tirol; not only does its river, the Ötztaler Ache, supply the twenty communities along its 66km length with water, until it joins the river Inn, but also its agriculture for irrigation. It is - still - one of the most unspoilt rivers in the eastern Alps, used and loved by kayakers and white-water rafters. This project would divert up to 80% of its current water flow, with dams 25m high erected in both the Venter and the Gurgler valleys. The dam needed to flood the Platzertal, a side valley of the Kaunertal, would be 120m high, with 6.3 ha of ecologically unique moorlands disappearing under the new reservoir. Many protected species would lose their habitats, among them rock ptarmigan, grayling and alpine marmot.

The existing Gepatsch reservoir holds back 138 million cubic metres of water. Landslides from the mountain slope above the reservoir are already a regular occurrence. The melting of the permafrost and the planned new pump storage operation further exacerbate this risk. The effects downstream would also be devastating: river levels in the Inn would fluctuate even more than they do now, depending on whether the turbines at Imst are active or not, causing major damage to fish stocks. When the river surges, fish flee the pressure to what are then the banks, only to perish in the fields surrounding the river when the water recedes again, unable to get back into the main stream (see, for example, www.wwf.at/artikel/schwall-und-sunk

There is huge uproar locally against this project, led by WWF Austria. The ÖAV website says: “Climate protection and nature conservation must work hand in hand - WWF Austria and the Alpenvereine in Germany and Austria are convinced of this. The plans of the Tiroler Wasserkraft AG to expand the Kaunertal power station are contrary to this principle. The expansion of the hydroelectric power plant is destroying habitats and biodiversity and is increasing the water shortage in the region. The associations are therefore calling for the expansion plans to be stopped.” At the moment, the project to expand the Kaunertal power plant is about to undergo an official environmental impact assessment, in which the public must also participate.

The case for the proposed expansion can be fou nd by searching for ‘TIWAG Kaunertal expansion’ and then clicking on the www.tiwag.at link.

The petition can be found at www.natur-statt-profit.at

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Ötztal existing and planned dams
Photo by WET (Wildwasser Erhalten Tirol)

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