ABSTRACT

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 such as hydropower dams, sediment traps, river controls and gravel extractions, are to be overcome. In the course of strategic planning the Canton of Bern examined the bed load sediment balance of its rivers and identified which installations affect the bed load rate excessively and must be remediated. For all rivers of concern, it was determined what the average yearly bed load rate is under current conditions, and what it should be in order to fulfil animal and plant needs in their habitat. In the Canton of Bern installations significantly impair the bed load transport on 56 % of the length of the river reaches investigated. 56 installations must be remediated by 2030.