River restoration projects of south-west Germany: Aim and development

As a consequence of the industrialization, conventional techniques for river channel engineering involved excavation to increase the capacity of the channel for an efficient conveyance of water and waste water. Since the 70's of this century, environmental, ecological, and recreational issues have impinged more forcibly on the design of flood protection schemes and restoration projects supporting natural dynamic processes. Meanwhile, many river restoration projects have been carried out and completed by the government of Baden-Wurttemberg (south-west Germany) and a lot of experience was gathered. In this study the main characteristics, the aim and the development of four major restoration projects are presented.