Conservation Measures

Recommended actions for the protection of springs

• The replenishment of ground water in the near and wider surrounding of springs should not be deminished, to prevent springs from running dry.
• The purity of spring water has to be preserved. To reach this goal, agricultural influx into the ground water should be avoided, as well as discharge of sewage, rain or surface water from drainage or ditches into the spring area.
• Around the spring, a vegetation in accordance with the location should be retained (forest, spring and flush community), among others to avoid heating up of the water by direct irradiation. This applies also to the area of the spring brook. Clear felling of the forest causes an instant change of the irradiation and should be avoided. Pastures in the immidiate sourrounding of springs should not be cut.
• Stands of spruce should be substituted by tree species of the marsh forest, to counter an increasing acidification of the spring water.
• The use of spring areas as watering place for cattle should be avoided. The complete vegetation (spring and flush community) may possibly be destroyed by trampling.
• Under circumstances, the spring has to be protected from people seeking recreation. This is done by passing around hiking paths in a wide distance from spring areas. Resting places should not be set up in spring areas. A worthwhile measurement might be to provide information to passersby (e.g. by setting up information panels), to further the acceptance of protective measurements.
• Springs should be liberated from pipings, casings and other constructions as far as possible. This includes abandoned collecting tanks for drinking water, traditional casing in stone as well as drainages. In individual cases, aspects of cultural history and heritage preservation have to be evaluated and weighted.
• The spring water shall neither be ponded in the immidiate spring area nor in the area of the spring brook. Ponding will, among others, deprive the larvae of the fire salamander of their habitat.
• To ensure a protection of springs, the purchase, lease, restrictions of utilisation or legal protection of the spring area should be considered in certain cases.
• In a minimum distance of 100 metres around the spring, mechanical stress on the forest floor by forestry machinery and vehicles should be avoided. The compacting of the ground causes a deminishing of the pore volume, which in turn deminishes the capacity for infiltration of precipitation.
• Attracting of red deer, fallow deer or wild boar to the spring area by offering of food or salt should be omitted. Since these animals are living in the forests in herds or gangs, they will destroy the vegetation and the upper ground level with its accumulated litter in the spring areas by trampling and digging. Wild boar also uses the spring areas as wallows.
• Tubbing casing of the spring brook (e.g, for culverts) should not be build with standard tubes. If culverts are necessary, it is imperative to build them free of steps or cascades. The bottom of the culvert should not be made of concrete, to permit a barrier-free movement of bottom dwellers. Ideally, U-profiles with the opening facing downwards should be used.
• Grasslands containing springs, which are used as pasture, should be stocked only in low density, ideally not more that 0.5 livesock units per hectar. This will minimize the structural disturbance of the spring areas and will in fact enhance the species diversity of open land springs.