The March is a border river between Austria and Slovakia with valuable ecological habitats. However, only very few people know that at one location seven pipes cross under its surface in order to supply Western Europe with gas.
But the March has dug deeper and deeper over the past decades and the gas pipes are therefore covered with less and less bed material. It was clear to those responsible: The digging must be stopped to safeguard the gas supply.

The gas pipeline operators Gas Connect Austria GmbH and Trans Austria Gasleitung GmbH commissioned RIOCOM to solve this difficult task in a sustainable and careful manner for the environment. In this process, we were able to bring in 16 years of experience at the river March.

How did the solution look like?

  • Preparation of a study with different solution variants
  • Selection of the most sustainable variant in the form of micro groins
  • Expansion of the planning team by the external hydraulic engineering expert Otmar Grober with his in-depth knowledge about micro groins
  • 8 micro groins will shift the flow from the shore to the middle of March and increase the coverage of the seven gas pipes and sustainably protect them

After a one-year planning phase and numerous permits in Austria and Slovakia, the construction was implemented in August and September 2017. We are looking forward to seeing the changes in the river!

More information about the project can be found in the Gas Connect Austria newsletter Natural Gas in Focus 27/2017.

Competence Area

Infrastructure und water engineering

Services

Study, submission planning, tendering, placing, local construction supervision, construction site coordination, approval

Contracting Purchaser

GCA – Gas Connect Austria GmbH
TAG – Trans Austria Gasleitung GmbH

In collaboration with

blattfisch e.U.

Location

Baumgarten an der March

Period

September 2015 until December 2017