Water law in Austria

Austrian water law is the result of more than a century of development. Water as a resource has always been of particular importance both for the supply of drinking and industrial water as well as for the utilisation of the motor power of water, especially for energy production. Settlement activities and economic activities can lead to water pollution, but also require protection against flood hazards. Water ecology requirements are becoming increasingly important in order to safeguard water resources for future generations. All of this is regulated by Austrian water law and some of it can only be understood if you are familiar with the history of the development of the water law provisions.

What we do: We advise and represent you in all water law authorisation procedures, be it for hydropower projects, water supply plants, wastewater discharges into bodies of water, indirect discharges into the sewage system, (de)regulation of bodies of water, flood protection projects or gravel extraction. You can also count on our expertise when it comes to soil or groundwater contamination.