via donau – Österreichische Wasserstraßen-Gesellschaft mbH was founded on 1 January 2005 by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology for the preservation and development of the Danube waterway. The company was formed by the merger of

Österreichische Donau-Betriebs AG,
Österreichische Donau-Technik GmbH, via donau – Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH für Telematik und Donauschifffahrt and
the privatised Waterways Authority.

Legal form
via donau is a limited liability company, she stands to 100% in the property of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology.

Locations
Vienna: Tech Gate (Main office), Brigittenauer Sporn
Bad Deutsch-Altenburg (Site East)
Krems (Site Middle)
Aschach (Site West)
Angern (March)

Outpost
Persenbeug, Linz

Locks along the Danube
Locksgroup Ost (Freudenau, Greifenstein, Altenwörth)
Locksgroup Mitte (Melk, Persenbeug, Wallsee)
Locksgroup West (Abwinden, Aschach, Ottensheim)
Locksgroup Nußdorf (Donaukanal)

Members of staff: 267
(Stand September 2007)

 
Management
Mag. Manfred Seitz

Governing body
ADir. Ferry Elsholz
Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology
 
Mag. Heimo Gradischnig 
Kovar & Köppl Public Affairs Consulting GmbH

SC Mag. Dr. Gerhard Gürtlich 
Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology
 
Günther W. Havranek 
HFP Steuerberatungs GmbH 
 
KR Rudolf Hye 
Donau-Tankschiffahrtsgesellschaft m.b.H

Dr. August Reschreiter
Austrian Federal Chancellery - Office of Federal Minister Doris Bures 
 
Works council
Gertraud Laher
DI (FH) Jürgen Trögl
Ing. Andreas Peck 

Tasks

Administration of federal waterways

• Regulation, maintenance and enlargement of waters
• Flood protection
• Protection of waters, monitoring the status of waters
• Landscaping of riverbanks, improvement of the habitat for animal and plant life
• Footpaths along the riverbanks
• Federal ports and jetties
• Hydrology, hydrography, measurement
• Executes the sovereign tasks of Donauhochwasserschutzkonkurrenz
• Ensures compliance with international commitments on Austria’s waterways (e.g. TEN Trans-European Network and Transboundary Water Commission)
• Management of waters and plots of land in public ownership
• Management of movable and immovable assets of the federal government
• Tasks according to the Hydraulic Engineering Assistance Act

Development of inland waterway transport

• Development and management of projects designed to increase intermodal and commercial waterway transport
• Development and implementation of new technologies and systems for inland waterways
• Promotion of inland waterway transport, lobbying on both the national and international level, promotion of strategic partnerships
• Implementation of pioneering projects designed to set up intermodal transport axes
• Implementation of studies, surveys and research projects as well as execution of management tasks concerning the above mentioned fields for third parties and particularly public authorities

Lock supervision

• via donau performs sovereign functions in the areas of lock (all locks along the Danube as well as the Nussdorf lock), weir and water supervision