Lech Wild River

The Tirolean Lech is unique! It is the last wild river in the northern Alpine area and as the “last wild” it  presents largely natural dynamics with mighty  gravel and grit banks in its wide river bed. Creeks branch off and unite again. Stones from the side valley are continuously being shifted and transported further away by the water. This shifting of the bedload is a determining characteristic of a wild river landscape.

The only constant thing about the area around  a wild river is that it is continuously changing. Low temperatures, little plankton and a high mineral content create in combination with the sunlight, the striking bright-blue-turquoise colour of the water, one of the striking features of the Tiroler Lech river. Rain and heavy thunder thunderstorms can change this colour fast within only a few hours.. TheLech waters then turn into a muddy-brown when it makes its way through the valley! During  flooding the Lech is wild and impetuous. And during the summer the Lech river can carry a hundred times more water than in the winter during low water.

Typical Species in the Lech River

bullhead
brook trout
grayling
stonefly larvae
caddisfly larvae