On 16 June 2026, a group of around 30 international students from TU Graz visited the nearly completed pilot measure on the Styrian Enns River. Construction work has already been completed and structural measures are currently being implemented. During a two-hour guided tour, the students had the opportunity to explore the measures on-site and ask questions. Topics included why projects like IRIS are so important in modern river management, how flood protection and river restoration can be combined, and what outcomes are expected from the measures along the Enns. The students were impressed by the scale and nature of the implementation. As with all restoration projects, nature needs some time: vegetation and ecological impact will only fully develop over the coming years.

TU Graz Master’s Programme

The visit to the Enns River was part of a two-day field trip organised within the English Master’s programme in Geotechnical and Hydraulic Engineering at the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management at TU Graz. The programme is explicitly designed for international students, including students from India, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Southeast Europe.

Flood Protection and Ecological Goals

In addition to the IRIS measure, the field trip also included visits to the Schönau and Hieflau hydroelectric power plants as well as the flood protection system of the city of Steyr. For IRIS, the student visit was a great opportunity to present the project to part of tomorrow’s international expert community and to demonstrate that flood protection and ecological goals need not be mutually exclusive.

Photo Credits: TU Graz