More bed load in rivers. Achieving a sediment balance close to the natural state in the canton of Bern

摘要

The revised Water Protection Act has been in force in Switzerland since 2011. The act states that rivers are to be restored and that negative effects on the ecosystem caused by installations are to be overcome. Hydropower dams, river control structures, gravel extraction and other installations should not impair the bed load sediment balance of the waters. This means that the waters must transport enough bed load to fulfil the habitat requirements of animals and plants. Installations that affect the bed load sediment balance excessively must be remediated by 2030.