LAWI301245 Field trip hydrology and water management

Type
Field trip
Semester hours
1
Lecturer (assistant)
Herrnegger, Mathew
Organisation
Hydrology and Water Management
Offered in
Sommersemester 2026
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

This 3-day field course focuses on karst hydrology and drinking water supply, using Vienna's water infrastructure as a prime example – one of the largest municipal drinking water systems in Europe.

The excursion covers the full range from alpine source areas to urban water infrastructure. We visit the spring protection zones of Vienna's First Aqueduct (Rax-Schneeberg massif) and Second Aqueduct (Hochschwab massif) – two of Austria's most significant karst spring systems, supplying Vienna with high-quality drinking water since the 19th century.

Key topics include the hydrogeology and karst hydrology of the source areas, on-site inspection of spring structures, tunnel systems, and reservoirs along the aqueduct routes, and a visit to the Hydrographic Service of Lower Austria, providing insight into operational monitoring and data collection.

The course is aimed at students with a foundational background in hydrology and water resources management. A mandatory preparatory meeting will be held on 17. March 2026, at which the detailed programme will be announced.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

- explain and reflect on karst hydrological processes and their relevance to drinking water supply using concrete field examples,
- describe spring protection measures and associated infrastructure (spring intakes, tunnel systems, reservoirs) on site and place them in a water management context,
- identify methods for measuring hydrological state variables (e.g. discharge, water level, spring yield) and understand their application in operational monitoring,
- comprehend administrative and regulatory processes relevant to water supply and water body protection,
- apply theoretical knowledge from hydrology and water resources management courses in a practical, holistic field context and reflect critically on the connections between theory and practice.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.