Portal:Alpine Rhine/Rhine Regulation

The Rhine Regulation (Rheinregulierung refers to the canalisation of the Alpine Rhine river along the border between Austria and Switzerland which was carried out in the early 20th century. The State Treaty on the Regulation of the Rhine (Staatsvertrag zur Rheinregulierung), agreed in 1892 between Austria-Hungary and Switzerland, put an end to the numerous flood disasters on the Alpine Rhine between Sargans and Lake Constance. Two cuts reduced the length of the river by around ten kilometres in order to raise the gradient, thuse increasing the flow rate of the water and preventing depositions of sediment. The organisation, Internationale Rheinregulierung (IRR), is the umbrella under which the two states of Austria and Switzerland coordinated the construction work and they continue to maintain the embankments even today ... « more »