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Since the beginning of hazard zoning on the basis of the Forest Act 1975 the delimitation of haz-
ard zones, reservation and reference areas has taken place on the basis of the recommendations
worked out on the occasion of the Hazard Zone Map Seminar in FLACHAU in 1976. The experi-
ence made with the expertises this way so far has shown that hazard zone maps established by
the Forest Technical Service in Torrent and Avalanche Control enjoy high acceptance among
communities and authorities and that the identified zones have proved to be correct again and
again on the occasion of disasters.

Due to repeated demands on the part of those who are responsible for the establishment of haz-
ard zone maps, as well as due to an increased sensitivity of the population for natural hazards – in
particular in tourist regions – the necessity to establish standard provisions for the delimitation of
hazard zones at federal level was recognised and the guidelines on hand have been worked out in
the circle of hazard zone map authors in consideration of the experience of this service branch.

These guidelines are to provide a framework which is to be applied by the authors of hazard zone
maps according to the principles of torrent and avalanche control. The changes occurring in the
identified hazard zones after these guidelines have become effective will be more or less marked,
however, in most cases there will be rather minor changes, as the delimitation of hazard zones, in
application of the so-called “historical method“ (consideration of hazard indicators, interviews with
neighbours, chronicle records, etc.) in combination with the calculation of figures relevant to exper-
tises will continue to be justified from the technical point of view. The hazard zones evaluated and
presented this way constitute an expert definition of the summation curve of all possibilities in the
case of a recurrent design event. As before the author of the hazard zone map will have to give
reasons for the summation curve in verbal statements. As these reasons are being verified ac-
cording to a strict examination procedures of a hazard zone map the validity of these statements
seems to be sufficiently established, even if they don’t always seem to be mathematically recon-
structable.

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1. FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS

The legal provisions on the establishment of hazard zone maps are included in the Forest Act
1975 as well as in the Decree on Hazard Zoning (Federal Legal Gazette No. 436/1976): The Acts
on regional planning of the Federal Provinces also refer to the establishment and application of
hazard zone maps.

The legally standardised mandate to evaluate the areas with a view to their suitability for settle-
ment and transport purposes (§ 6 of the Decree on Hazard Zoning) is understood with respect to
the determination of delimitation criteria for hazard zones in a way that it should be based on the
security of buildings and the persons therein. Any other utilisation of parts of the landscape than
for cultivation and development for settlement purposes requires a special interpretation of the
statements made in the hazard zone map expertise.

1.1 "Area relevant to land-use planning“ (according to the Decree on Hazard Zoning § 5, para-
graph 2, lit. b:

The concept of “relevance to land-use planning” determines on the one hand the current building
land planning, which means those areas which are identified in the land development plan as cate-
gory “building land“ [e.g. purely residential area, extended residential area (mixed – residential and
industrial area), industrial area]. On the other hand the relevance to land-use planning should also
be assigned to those areas for which due to their location, their level of development, or any other
function hazard zoning seems to be advantageous. The presentation of the relevance to land-use
planning constitutes a basis for the extent of the delimitation of hazard zones and has to be justi-
fied briefly.

1.2 "Disproportionately high expenditure" according to the Decree on Hazard Zoning § 6 lit. a:

A disproportionately high expenditure is to be assumed, if measures have to be taken or prelimi-

nary investigations have to be commissioned by the applicant for a construction permit, which go
beyond the measures which have to be carried out in the “yellow hazard zone“ according to point
2.2 or 2.3 of the Decree on hand. This includes also constructions and protective measures out-
side the object concerned without discrimination against third parties.

1.3 "Frequency of hazards" according to the Decree on Hazard Zoning § 6 lit. a:

A hazard is characterised as “frequent“ when its probable recurrence interval lies within a period of
10 years.

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2. ESTABLISHMENT OF HAZARD ZONE MAPS

2.1 General
The delimitation criteria apply to any kind of planning by the agencies according to § 8 paragraph
2 lit. c. or § 11 Forest Act 1975. Moreover the criteria constitute the basis for expertises carried out
by the agencies within the framework of administrative procedures (water law, forest law, land-use
planning etc.), dealing with the evaluation of hazards by torrents, avalanches and other erosion
processes (mass movements, slides, stone fall, rock fall, etc.), or which have to evaluate factors
triggering off or having a negative impact on the incidence of such hazards.

2.2 Delimitation of flood and debris flow events

(TR = Torrent-Red, TY = Torrent-Yellow)
zones

Criteria Recurrent design event Frequent event (1 to 10 times/year)

1) Stagnant water TR water depth >= 1,5 m water level mark HQ10 > 50 cm, HQ 1 > 20
cm
TY water depth < 1,5 m water level mark HQ10 > 50 cm, HQ 1 < 20
cm
2) Running water TR height of energy line >= 1,5 m HQ10: height of energy line >= 0,25 m
TY height of energy line < 1,5 m HQ10: height of energy line < 0,25 m
3) Erosion gullies TR depth >= 1,5 m erosion gullies possible
TY depth < 1,5 m runoff without erosion gullies, thus see no. 2!
4) Bedload-deposits TR height of deposits >= 0,7 m Bedload deposits possible
TY height of deposits < 0,7 m no bedload deposits, thus see no. 2!
5) Post-failure slope TR Upper edge of the post-failure
____
movement conse- slope movement area
quently depth/lateral TY safety distance
erosion
6) Debris and earth TR boundary of marked debris
____
flows flow deposits

7) Retrogressive ero- TR possible extent

sion no assessment
TY take note of points 3 and 5

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Remarks:
ad. point 1): bog pools, ponds, wells, small synclines are not represented
ad point 5): - Reason for the width of the safety distance in the individual case
- In order to record and define post-failure slope movement areas a check-list is being worked
out

2.3 Delimitation of avalanche events

(AR = avalanches-red, AY = avalanches-yellow)
zones

Criteria Recurrent design event Frequent event (1 to 10 times/year)

1) pressure (p) AR p > 10 kN/m² p > 10 kN/m²

AY 1 < p < 10 kN/m² 1 < p < 10 kN/m²
2) thickness at deposits (T) AR T > 1,5 m T > 1,5 m
AY 0,2 < T < 1,5 m 0,2 < T < 1,5 m

2.4 Blue reservation area:

The blue reservation area delimits basically areas, where measures are to take place (active con-
cept). In view of a holistic view of the cause-effect structure in the catchment area as well as in
view of an increased orientation towards ecological measures a mapping of reservation areas
which is as comprehensive as possible is to be aimed at. As regards the text part reference should
be made to planned land-use planning projects, and if possible also to the forest development plan
and to the protection forests regeneration projects of the Federal Provinces. A delimitation of res-
ervation areas is in principle also possible outside the area relevant to land-use planning.
2.4.1 Forestry and biological measures
In the course of the delimitation of an area it is to be considered which protective function
this area is supposed to fulfil, if appropriate forestry and biological measures are taken
(e.g. watershed management projects). These forestry-biological measures do not only in-
clude the regeneration and stocking of forest areas, but also possible changes of crops or
the kind of cultivation (e.g. no maize growing etc.).

2.4.2 Technical measures:

In the course of the delimitation of an area it is to be considered which protective function
this area can fulfil, if appropriate technical measures are taken (dams, flood-retarding ba-

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sins, drainage systems , avalanche control measures, etc.). In order to ensure that appro-
priate measures can be taken in the future it is important to represent these areas as blue
reservation areas to keep them free from any constructions which might have a negative
impact.

2.5 Reference areas:

A delimitation is also possible outside the area relevant to land-use planning. The presentation is
to be justified appropriately in the text part of the hazard zone map.

2.5.1 Violet reference area

These areas are areas with a protective function, whose efficiency should at least be main-
tained at the present level (retention areas, areas with favourable runoff behaviour, diver-
sion of avalanche and debris flow due to their due to the geo-morphological site condi-
tions).

2.5.2 Brown reference area:

The representation of areas, which are influenced by natural hazards other than torrents
and avalanches, may be rendered as a service for land-use planning according to the De-
cree on Hazard Zoning. However, the determination of the exact extent and the importance
of these hazards by competent experts [geologists, Federal Hydraulic Engineering Admini-
stration (Bundeswasserbauverwaltung)] are to be commissioned by the respective stake-
holders.
2.5.2.1 Federal Hydraulic Engineering Administration (impact on runoff conditions within
the competence of the Federal Hydraulic Engineering Administration)
In the areas where f torrents and wild rivers flow into bigger rivers there might also be spe-
cial hazards within the competence of the Federal Hydraulic Engineering Administration,
which might result in an extension of hazard zones within the framework of hydraulic engi-
neering. The evaluation area can be represented as brown reference area. The immediate
area of impact of the torrent still has to be mapped as red or yellow hazard zone.
2.5.2.2 Landslide, rock-fall and other natural hazards:
The regional dimension determined by the hazard zone map author in the course of topog-
raphical studies has to be represented in the hazard zone maps. This presentation has to
be justified in the text part of the hazard zone map. The drawing sheet of the hazard zone
map (key) is to be completed with respect to the used signature.

guidelines for hazard zoning.doc, gespeichert am 25.10.2001