2.5 Infrastructure and services of general interest

Since Vienna’s population continues to grow fast and climatic conditions are changing, the City of Vienna is adapting its infrastructure and services of general interest to these developments. This concerns the supply with energy and drinking water or the sewer system as well as the traffic and transport infrastructure and the digital networks. These adaptations are underpinned by risk and vulnerability analyses; emergency and action plans are adjusted on an ongoing basis, and processes are optimised.

Key measures to safeguard water supply for a growing city and reliable drinking water supply in the long term include the further upgrading of the water supply system, the increase of storage capacities and the replacement of old pipes by Municipal Department 31 – Vienna Water (Vienna Water 2050 strategy).

In recent years, Wien Kanal, which is the municipal body charged with wastewater management, planned and completed key operations to ensure the smooth functioning of the sewer network and optimise flood protection. Sewers are renovated or replaced on an ongoing basis, while the capacities of the sewer system are steadily adapted. Modern status monitoring technologies are applied. By limiting the introduction of rainwater into the sewer network on the one hand and ensuring the effective use of storage facilities on the other hand, the City of Vienna tries to improve not only the situation of flood control but also, and above all, that of water resource protection. Examples of these efforts include the enlargement of the relief channel for the Wien Valley collector or the storage reservoir to protect the Liesingbach Brook.

For the first time, the 2023 amendment to the Vienna Building Code prohibits the introduction of rainwater from building sites into the sewer in order to improve local infiltration.

The public transport provider Wiener Linien has stepped up its safety measures and continues to improve its flood protection plans with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of the Underground network to technical breakdowns. Moreover, it is envisaged to introduce air conditioning in all means of public transport.

Highlights:

• Risk and vulnerability analyses used as basis

• Optimised emergency and action plans

• Further upgrading of the water supply system with the Vienna Water 2050 strategy

• Creation of a legal basis for local rainwater infiltration

• Improved flood control and water resource protection

• Renovation, modernisation and enlargement of the sewer system as well as of the water supply and wastewater disposal networks

• Flood protection plans of Wiener Linien

• Air conditioning for all forms of public transport