Scouts plant 1,100 young trees on the Kößlbach

Water ecology measures in the Jochenstein reservoir before completion

On Friday 10 April 2026, 45 children and young people from the Sauwald Scout Group combined forces and had fun making an important contribution to restore the Danube landscape. They planted 1,100 young trees on the Kößlbach stream, laying the foundation for a new floodplain forest, for the European Union LIFE project “Blue Belt Danube Inn River”, as part of which VERBUND is implementing water ecology measures in the Jochenstein reservoir."

Local shoots were planted from willows, poplars, elms and alders—the types of trees that are characteristic of floodplain forests. Further development of the area will be left to natural succession, allowing nature to develop on its own. A meadow of false oat-grass and burnet has been seeded on the adjacent meadows. In just a few years, nature will reclaim its habitat and create a valuable biotope for insects and amphibians.

"Nature management is one of our eight focal points for the Scouts," explains Andreas Protil, Group Leader of the Sauwald Scouts. "We have been following the restoration of the Kößlbach from the outset and are really pleased that we can now get involved as well. The kids have a lot of fun, do something really sustainable, and can follow the growth of the floodplain forest over the next few years. And when I told them they were probably going to get really dirty, everyone was raring to go!"

"By completing the measures on the Kößlbach, we have reached an important milestone," explains Christian Rucker, project manager at VERBUND. "A new section of the Danube wetlands has been created across six hectares. The fact that the Sauwald Scout Group has planted 1,100 trees at the end is the icing on the cake. The young people can come back in a few years and see how a real floodplain forest has developed here. For us, this is a beautiful sign: nature conservation works when everyone gets involved to help—from planning and implementing to engaging in fantastic activities like this with children."

Comprehensive restoration on the Kößlbach and Altarm Roning successfully completed

The planting campaign is the final highlight of a comprehensive package of measures that VERBUND has implemented in the Jochenstein reservoir since October 2025. Following the completion of the work on the Kößlbach, an important milestone of these water ecology measures has been achieved.

In the mouth of the Kößlbach, VERBUND built a generously sized, permeable island branch system as well as several still waters. The estuary of the Kößlbach stream into the Danube was relocated and extended to allow for structural upgrading. Around 6 hectares of land were used to construct an old embankment, several amphibian pools and a new, large gravel island on the banks of the Danube River. A total of around 190,000 m³ of material was moved around this complex.

As part of the pike measure, an existing cutoff lake was offloaded and provided with further pools. In Roning, a new body of still water was also created, which is connected to the main river of the Danube. This measure aims to achieve a material improvement in the living conditions of migratory and weed-spawning fish species. Creating isolated amphibian spawning waters of different depths of water creates new habitats for amphibians.

Habitats for fish, amphibians and pioneer vegetation

The new structures offer high-quality new habitats for aquatic organisms such as fish and micro-organisms, as well as for colonisers in areas of variable humidity, including amphibians, dragonflies, pioneer vegetation and other species typically found on soft floodplains. The existing shallow biotopes will be less sensitive to short-term fluctuations in water levels due to the adaptation.

Many sections of the Danube are restricted by artificial bank defences and developments in its natural course. Creating near-natural waterfronts will revitalise habitats for fish, birds, amphibians and other animal species. When planning gravel bars and cutoff lakes, particular attention was paid to creating spawning habitats for fish in order to increase populations.

In the next construction phase, from 2027 to 2028, water ecology measures will be implemented in the Aschach reservoir. The third and final stage of construction will once again focus on the Jochenstein reservoir on the left bank of the German river and will be completed by 2028 and 2029.