Wolfgangsee spans the provinces of Salzburg and Upper Austria. Tourism hotspots in St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang create dense lake infrastructure — landing stages of the Wolfgangsee shipping line, hotel jetties, lido facilities, gauge structures. ScanSustain inspects by ROV down to the maximum depth of 113 m. Actual deployments are subject to approval by the responsible local authorities, facility operators and shipping administrations.
These structure types can be inspected ROV-based at Wolfgangsee — subject to approval from local authorities and operators:
The WolfgangseeSchifffahrt of Salzburg AG Tourismus GmbH serves seven landing stages: St. Gilgen, Fürberg, Ried-Falkenstein, St. Wolfgang SchafbergBahn, St. Wolfgang Markt, Gschwendt and Strobl. For group trips, Schifffahrt am Wolfgangsee GmbH uses landing stages in St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen. Inspection for berth-edge damage, support-pile growth, bed zone.
Jetties of hotels and commercial operations along the shoreline zones. The Province of Salzburg has recorded the existing jetties in the Salzburg part of the lake; this part is owned by the Austrian Federal Forests, which let lake-bed areas for jetties, buoys and boathouses. Findings capture of timber, steel and concrete components.
Wolfgangsee has five EU bathing sites: St. Gilgen, St. Gilgen-Ried, St. Gilgen – Gamsjaga, Strobl and Appesbach in St. Wolfgang. Strobl's municipal lido has two 40 m and one 20 m timber jetties, the St. Gilgen indoor and outdoor pool a jetty facility with a diving board; at St. Gilgen-Ried and Appesbach the shore is (partly) lined with stone walls and stairs or steps. Inspection of jetty and platform structures.
Two official lake gauges: “St. Gilgen (Seepegel)” of the Salzburg Hydrographic Service and “Strobl” of the Upper Austrian Hydrographic Service — staff gauges since 1900 and 1904, both with a pressure probe, Strobl with remote data transmission since 2022.
Around 22 km of polyethylene wastewater pressure pipelines of the Reinhalteverband Wolfgangsee-Ischl, which comprises the municipalities of Bad Ischl, St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang and Strobl, run through the lake.
Typical damage patterns at Lake Wolfgangsee:
Support piles of larch and oak. Boreholes, fungal attack in the water-level fluctuation zone, pile drift in soft sediment layers.
Seasonal growth layers on the substructures of jetty and lido facilities. Findings capture as a basis for cleaning planning.
Low-flow landing-stage areas and bay zones collect fine sediment, which reduces the usable water depth. Structured volume and depth capture as a basis for maintenance and dredging planning. During floods, the Zinkenbach washes turbid matter into the lake.
Wolfgangsee water is clear to very clear (visibility 3 to 7 m). ROV optics is the primary method, with sonar as a complement for structured depth profiles. Deployment planning is coordinated with the tourism season — spring and autumn are preferred inspection windows.
For method selection in ROV deployments, the lake's depth profile is decisive: near-shore structures such as jetties, landing stages and lido facilities typically lie in the range of 1 to 10 m, while the lake drops off markedly towards the centre. The alluvial fan of the Zinkenbach divides the lake into two basins.
113 m — ROV systems cover the entire depth range.
The official figures differ slightly: lake area 12.84 km² (Province of Salzburg) or 13.0 km² (Province of Upper Austria), maximum depth 113.1 m or 114.0 m. The position of the thermocline varies with the season. For projects with accuracy requirements we recommend verifying these values in advance against a current hydrographic source — we do not take them as given unchecked when planning a deployment anyway.
For landing stages, gauge structures and jetty facilities at Wolfgangsee, a geometric as-built survey can be useful alongside condition inspection — for example as a basis for rehabilitation planning or later monitoring. With Survey & Mapping, ScanSustain offers photogrammetric and multibeam-sonar-based capture that delivers depth profiles, site plans and 3D models in CAD/GIS-ready formats.
The lake gauges are operated by the Hydrographic Services of Salzburg (St. Gilgen) and Upper Austria (Strobl). The water-rights authority is, in principle, the district administration: the Salzburg-Umgebung district administration for St. Gilgen and Strobl, and the Gmunden district administration for St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut. The shipping authorities are the provinces of Salzburg (Unit 6/52) and Upper Austria (Transport Department); in Upper Austria, shipping facilities are approved by the district administration. At the lake outflow into the Ischl lies the Wolfgangseeklause; in 2024 the federal ministry published a water-law procedure to modify its fish pass (applicant: Wasserverband Wolfgangseeklause).
The Salzburg part of the lake lies within the landscape protection area “Schafberg-Salzkammergutseen”; in the nature reserve “Wolfgangsee-Blinklingmoos” near Strobl, which also covers the lake's reed zone, building boat and bathing jetties is prohibited. On the Upper Austrian shore, a lakeshore protection zone extends 500 m inland. Bathing is prohibited within 100 m of landing stages used by passenger shipping; we coordinate work at landing stages with the shipping operator.
Yes, with a longer lead time. Inspections outside the peak season (May, September, October) are logistically easier and often technically advantageous too (clearer visibility).
Wolfgangsee has a maximum depth of 113 m. ROV systems reach far beyond that. For jetty and lido facilities, typical working depths are 1 to 10 m.
Yes. Private jetties are inspected as part of value appraisals, condition surveys before rehabilitation, or when damage is suspected.
Yes, as part of Survey & Mapping — currently as a pilot service, with photogrammetric and multibeam-sonar-based capture for depth profiles, site plans and 3D models in CAD/GIS-ready formats.
As a rule, yes. Under water law, the responsible bodies are the Salzburg-Umgebung (St. Gilgen, Strobl) and Gmunden (St. Wolfgang) district administrations; the shipping authorities are the provinces of Salzburg and Upper Austria. The affected municipalities of St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang and, where applicable, shipping, hotel or lido operators are also involved; near Strobl, the rules of the Wolfgangsee-Blinklingmoos nature reserve apply. We clarify responsibility in advance together with the client.
Wolfgangsee is clear to very clear, with visibility of 3 to 7 m. This makes ROV optics the primary capture method; sonar is used in addition for structured depth profiles. Deployment planning is additionally coordinated with the tourism season — spring and autumn are preferred inspection windows.
Describe your use case — within 1 to 3 working days you will receive a concrete initial assessment with method selection and an effort indication.
