Wasserwege 2003

Water ways

Information from the Austrian Museum for Economic and Social Affairs and the Vienna Waterworks © Publisher: Austrian Museum for Economic and Social Affairs, Vogelsanggasse 36, 1050 Vienna. Tel.: 01/545 25 51, Fax: 01/545 25 51-55 e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.wirtschaftsmuseum.at ISBN: 3-902353-11-2 Translation: Christopher Norton-Welsh Edition: 2003 Further information: Vienna Waterworks – MA 31, Grabnergasse 4-6, 1060 Vienna Tel.: 01/599 59- 0, Internet: http://www.wienwasser.at

The total water on the Earth is 1,360 million km3.

97.33 % salt water 2.67 % fresh water 0.27 % of this is theoretically available drinking water

2.062 % Polar ice and glaciers 0.598 % groundwater and water bound in the earth 0.009 % rivers and lakes 0.001 % atmosphere and biomass

Almost threequarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Only a small part of this is fresh water, which is principally composed of ice cover, groundwater and surface water. Despite the enormous amount of water on our Earth, only a very small part is available as drinking water for people.

water transport in the atmosphere

precipitation precipitation over the sea over the land

evoporation evaporation from the sea from the land

surface drainage into the sea (as rivers)

underground drainage into the sea (as groundwater)

Only a small part of the Earth’s water takes part in Nature’s most important cycle, which forms the basis of all life. It evaporates, forms clouds, condenses (becomes liquid) when it cools and falls as rain, snow or hail back to the Earth’s surface. This cycle, which is made up of many individual cycles, is kept in motion by the sun.

Flooding in Austria The road has become a river

Water shortage in Africa Drought in Africa

Water can also cause catastrophes. Too much water causes high water and floods and sets off avalanches, mudslips and landslides. Water shortages bring drought with extreme consequences for men and animals. One can only survive for two or three days without water!

HOUSEHOLD WATER USAGE Share of the total daily water consumption of 150 litres per inhabitant:

WC 48 litres flushing

baths, 43 litres showers

laundry 18 litres

other 14 litres In comparison: India

An Indian uses personal 9 litres 25 litres a day hygiene as follows: washing- 6 litres washing-up, up 9 litres laundry watering 6 litres baths, the garden 8 litres showers car household, 3 litres 4 litres washing others

drinking, eating, 3 litres 4 litres cooking drinking WC 1/4 litre =1 litre

Source: ÖVGW, OECD.

Compared with many other countries the consumption habits of Austrians are virtually luxurious. On the other hand, sufficient quantities of water are essential for our high standards of hygiene and living. We should, however, use our water resources sparingly every day so that we can have enough pure, fresh water in the future.

Showers instead of baths A full bath needs roughly 200 l of water, showering (6 min.) only ca. 70 l . WC cistern with “stop device” The “short” flush of modern cisterns can save up to 8 litres per flushing. Repair dripping taps A slightly dripping tap loses about 36 l in 24 hours, a running WC flush loses up to 700 l of precious water. Don’t just let the tap run when doing the dishes, washing, cleaning teeth and wet shaving. Water the flowers and lawn in the evening Less water evaporates then. Don’t wash the car with a hosepipe Using a washing plant makes more ecological sense. Don’t use laundry washers and dishwashers half empty In particular older washing machines always use the same amount of water for each part of the programme. Fitting thermostatic and single-lever mixers These help you to reach the required temperature quickly and so save water and energy (up to 18 l per shower).

There are many possible ways of using water sensibly and not wasting it. We can all think of others, if we look at the way we use water critically.

No food remnants down the drains. Raw Don’t throw cleaning and sanitary material plant refuse should go into the bio bin, (old cleaning rags, nappies, sanitary towels, meat scraps into the general bin. cotton wool, condoms) into the toilet.

Don’t put paints, laquers amd solvents etc. No flammable, poisonous materials or old down the drain but hand them in at the medicines down the drains. They are also problem material points. problem materials

Don’t put used oil, whether from cars, deep Use as little washing-up fluids or strong fryers or frying pans, down the drain. Never cleaners as possible. They often contain let oil seep into the ground. One litre of oil aggressive chemicals that can put a heavy contaminates 1 million litres of water. burden on the water cycle.

We can all help to protect our water supply through environmentally friendly behaviour. Materials that do not belong in the drains can damage the sewers, cause problems at the sewage farm and endanger the environment.

Spring water Groundwater Surface water

1 % 8 % 28 % 49 % 50 % 64 %

Austria Germany

16 % 25 % 42 %

42 % 75 %

Switzerland Great Britain

For hundreds of years the Viennese drew their water from wells, streams and the Danube. Because of the generally bad quality of the water sickness and epidemics were the result. Fresh water only came to the city when the High-springs Pipelines were built. Today the City of Vienna covers its water needs completely with spring water (average in Austria one half).

grey karst (bare rock)

green karst (vegetation)

spring

damming stone layers karst water body karst mass (e.g. slate)

Dangers to the sensitive karst system ecology:

Intensive tourism Sewage from mountain refuges Dying forests danger of erosion Overgrazing Air pollution acid rain Illegal dumping in karst

Karst is the name for a region with typical surface features (e.g. sinkholes) and an underground drainage system (fissures, caves). Karst is created by the slow erosion of limestone and dolomite. Vienna’s water reserve areas, the karst areas of the Rax, Schneeberg, Schneealpe and Hochschwab are twice as large as the city itself.

A fissure at the Pfannbauern spring Spring chamber at Kaiserbrunn

1 Water-bearing layer 5 Access shafts 2 Damming stone layer 6 Spring chamber 3 Rock layer 7 Access doors 1 4 Conduit to with ventilation the spring chamber 8 Conduit to the reservoir 2 9 Outside water conduit and overflow conduit

3 4 5 4 6 7

2 9

Rain and melted snow seep through the ground and rock fissures until the water comes to an impermeable, damming layer. Diverted by this, the water returns to the surface on the slopes of the mountain. Especially plentiful springs are collected in spring chambers and brought to Viennna in the 1st and 2nd High-springs Pipelines.

Krems

River Wien Valley Melk Vienna Danube St. Pölten pipeline Neulengbach Amstetten Wilhelmsburg 3rd Viennese Scheibbs 1st High-springs water pipeline Ybbs 2nd High-Springs Pipeline Lunz Pipeline Piesting Leitha Wr. Neustadt Wildalpen Neunkirchen Rax Gloggnitz Schneealpe Schneeberg Hochschwab

Water supplies and water use in Vienna

in million m3 200 total supplies 160 120 delivered to the Viennese mains 80 mains losses1) 40 amount delivered to consumers 0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 02 1) Resulting from leaks (genuine losses) and internal measures like

Source: Wiener Wasserwerke. flushing, filling new pipelines etc. (non-genuine losses).

The 1st and 2nd High-springs Pipelines bring roughly 400,000 m3 water daily from the Rax, Schneeberg, Schneealpen and Hochschwabmassiv to Vienna; this is ca. 95 % of the Viennese drinking water over the year. By reducing pipeline losses it has been possible to minimize the difference between the amount taken from Nature and that used by the consumers.

Central control for water distribution Rosenhügel water reservoir

Water consumption in Vienna during a football match

932 start of play 9.30 p.m. interval

704 injury time

penalty shootout 476

248

20 12:00 18:00 00:00 06:00 12:00

Source: Wiener Wasserwerke. Sunday Monday

Although the Vienna Waterworks provide life’s most important need, its work is done in secret. A central task is reconciling the natural supply and the varying demand for water in the City. Viennna has 32 reservoirs for this purpose, which can hold about three days’ water reserves.

Spring-protecting forests / Hochschwab Groundwater-protection area / Lobau

humus, peat well well rubbish tip

water-permeable sand and gravel layers

water-bearing sand and gravel layers

impermeable layers – clay, marl, rock

water-permeable sand and gravel layers

Both spring and groundwater are heavily threatened by intensive agriculture, rubbish tips and sewage. Legal measures and in particular changing our personal habits can avert these dangers. Vienna’s water reserve areas are twice as big as the city area.

Simmering Sewage Farm

Screening and sand watercourse to the dump and/or to the incinerator

sewers sand preclarifi- decomposing postclarification grid collector cation pool pool lifting screw pump sand sludge sludge

gasline gas Sewage sludge decomposing as fertilizers tower electricity production Sewage sludge

Sewage farms perform the self-cleansing work of river and lakes in a few hours by removing dirt and pollutants from the sewage. Cleaning the total Viennese sewage, from both households and companies, is performed at a high technical level in the Wien-Simmering Main Sewage Farm.

The natural water cycle offers only apparently immeasurable wealth. We take water from this cycle, use it for our needs and return it to Nature. We should not thereby overburden Nature. Everyone is responsible for the quality and the quantity of the water we use and return to Nature!