introduction | site restoration | maximizing the natural resource | employee involvement in health & safety | sustaining a rural economy | renaturalization of a river area | innovative regional development | operational best practice | conserving natural heritage | working with a fishery association | reducing employee accidents | lowering emissions | developing geo-tourism | health & safety best practice | local community partnership | facilities for local organisations | protection of species - biotopes | decreasing environmental impacts | cooperation with regional authorities
Conserving Natural Heritage
THE PEGGAU PROJECT
BACKGROUND
Wietersdorfer & Peggauer Zementwerke GmbH has its headquarter in Klagenfurt and employs currently 420 persons. The company has locations in Wietersdorf, Peggau and Leoben.
The limes quarries of Peggau are located in landscape conservation and water catchment areas in the south-east of Austria. The main tourist attraction in Peggau is the 'Lur' cavern which is the biggest stalactite cavern in Austria.
The cavern divides the extraction site and must not be damaged by the extraction activities.
ACTION
The extraction process and techniques have been adapted. Measures like the conversion from face quarrying to combined face quarrying, benching with reduced bench heights, vertical hauling shafts and numerous technological blasting measures have been implemented. Conversion measures have also been applied to the Wietersdorf quarry.
RESULTS
As a result of the reduction of emissions to the environment, the nature and the cavern in Peggau has been conserved. In addition since the changes of 2001 there have been no complaints from the local community.
introduction | site restoration | maximizing the natural resource | employee involvement in health & safety | sustaining a rural economy | renaturalization of a river area | innovative regional development | operational best practice | conserving natural heritage | working with a fishery association | reducing employee accidents | lowering emissions | developing geo-tourism | health & safety best practice | local community partnership | facilities for local organisations | protection of species - biotopes | decreasing environmental impacts | cooperation with regional authorities
