Legau - At the closing event of the "Iller Strategy 2020", numerous participants from politics, business, science, municipalities, clubs and associations first appeared at the Maria Steinbach power plant and then at the Legau environmental center.
Everyone involved was happy with this successful long-term project, which has been running since 2014.
The "Iller Strategy 2020" is an extensive ecological package of measures that contributes to the sustainable improvement of the habitat of the local flora and fauna: Over a period of eight years, fish bypasses were created along a stretch of 30 kilometers, new water structures and living alluvial forests were created .
And with measurable success.
The extensive project includes numerous innovative measures and has a role model character with supra-regional appeal.
In the last eight years, the Lechwerke (LEW), together with project partners, have implemented the Iller Strategy 2020, an agreement on the sustainable use of hydropower on the Iller, which the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment and LEW signed in 2014.
The balance of the measures is positive: They have upgraded the habitat of the local flora and fauna and ensure that more fish and fish species are found in the river again.
30 million euros invested
LEW invested around 30 million euros in the implementation, thus ensuring the sustainable operation of the hydroelectric power plants for the future.
The Iller strategy referred to a section where LEW operates five hydroelectric power plants.
Representatives of the Bavarian water management, the fisheries advisory service of the Swabian district, the Swabian fisheries association, the University of Augsburg and the Neuburg floodplain institute were also involved in the planning and implementation of the measures.
The Iller strategy consisted of four central building blocks: the construction of fish bypasses, a fish protection concept, the dynamization of bypass streams and an improvement in the water structure in the river.
Near-natural surrounding waters were created at all five barrages, so that the fish can now migrate around 30 kilometers in the Iller without obstacles.
LEW Wasserkraft has also improved fish protection at the power plants themselves.
Special turbines and new, finely meshed rakes at the turbine inlets are helping to ensure that fewer and fewer fish get to the dangerous turbine area.
The dynamism of the surrounding streams was achieved by creating new tributaries into which water is specifically diverted.
In this way, the dynamics of the water typical of alluvial forests can be restored.
New habitats created
In order to improve the dynamic water body structure and enable dynamic water body development, individual sections of the bank were deliberately flattened.
A central building block is the "ISOBEL - Gravel for the Iller" project.
This sub-project focuses on targeted sediment management in order to create suitable water body structures and new habitats for fish and small creatures.
And this is exactly where ISOBEL comes in: The habitat in the river is to be improved by the targeted introduction of gravel.
A central monitoring program with continued scientific support proves the success of the measures.
Between August 2016 and the end of 2020, around 65,000 fish from 34 different species were counted with the scientific support of the University of Augsburg and the fishery advisory service of the Swabian district.
Most often, mullet, chub and perch ended up in the counting tank.
Grayling and barbel stocks have increased particularly strongly in recent years.
By marking the fish, the project partners were able to prove that some of the fish had climbed up to four fish ladders.
Some even hiked over 28 kilometers - proof that the bypass waters are well received.
Those responsible for the project were also correspondingly pleased with the great success of the Iller strategy, but also thoughtfully expressed it: Professor Dr.
Martin Grambow, head of the Water Management and Geology department at the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection, said: “Climate-friendly electricity from hydropower makes an important contribution to the energy supply in Bavaria.
The project shows: A climate-friendly energy supply from hydropower can be done in harmony with the ecology of our rivers.
The Iller strategy thus has a role model function for the entire Danube catchment area.”
District Administrator: "Pioneering Project"
For the Executive Board of Lechwerke AG, Dr.
Dietrich Gemmel, the Iller strategy brings together nature conservation, climate protection and hydropower in an exemplary way.
And Hans-Joachim Weirather, President of the Swabian Fishing Association, also expressed his satisfaction.
The great commitment of the Memmingen and Neugablonz fishing clubs deserves special mention.
"For years, the volunteers have checked the fish counting tanks almost every day and their reliable counts have contributed to the success of the Iller strategy."
The Lower Allgäu District Administrator Alex Eder stated: "It makes us proud that a groundbreaking project for the most compatible energy production from hydropower such as the Iller Strategy was successfully implemented here in the Lower Allgäu and is therefore also a model for other rivers.
With the LEADER projects (we reported) we were also able to jointly strengthen the Iller as a recreational and adventure area.
Locals and tourists alike value the river as an attractive destination.”
