Lech Am Arlberg Our Environment

LOCALITY

• Lech's village character has been preserved better than anywhere else because century old planning laws have determined the local style of ground floor with two storeys under a traditional saddle roof. Further improvements to the village's appearance will be made with road closures, widening of pavements and re-design of village squares.

• An integrated land use plan ensures controlled growth of the community, with affected land owners compensated for building restrictions. A detailed building plan was put into motion in the spring of 1992, which limits building work and ensures that the village retains its green spaces

WATER

• Lech's drinking water is of mineral water quality - as certified by several institutes.

• Lech provides water and sewage to every house in the community and has a state-of-the-art purifying plant. The river and mountain lake water is of drinking quality.

AGRICULTURE

• Farmers receive premiums for year-round livestock farming. Goods tracks ensure that even extremely remote mountain pastures can be farmed without causing land erosion.

SKI PISTES - WINTER TOURISM

• Large-scale sowing has ensured that even the most frequented ski pistes revert to flower meadows in the summer.

• Artificial snow machines used here comply with all environmental constraints and have no negative effect on the vegetation. On the contrary, the snow produced consists of just drinking quality water and (compressed) air.

• Measures to control the number of winter day trippers were introduced many years ago as a measure to avoid environmental overload. Since autumn 1994, after an extensive study of piste traffic, the Lech and Zurs cable-car and lift operators have imposed a limit of 14,000 skiers in the ski zone. Experience has proved that it has only been necessary to withdraw the sale of half and whole-day tickets on a few peak days in the season. Guests of Arlberg's hotels and day visitors who arrive by public transport are guaranteed purchase of a lift pass.

• Visitors are in general encouraged to arrive by public transport where possible or to travel at less congested times of day, thus contributing to the reduction of traffic pollution. For night travellers, changing and showering facilities are provided in numerous hotels and the first breakfast is free for those taking accommodation.

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