Bundesministerium für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Klima- und Umweltschutz sowie Regionen und Wasserwirtschaft, Abteilung III 5

The Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Climate and Environment, Regions and Water Management (BMLRT) is a supreme federal authority of the Republic of Austria, headquartered in Vienna. Department III 5 designs and implements funding programs and strategies related to water management, water protection, aquatic ecology, and sustainable regional development. The Ministry drafts framework legislation, implements EU directives, and funds projects in the areas of groundwater protection, restoration of flowing waters, urban water management, and regional public services. For the administration of numerous environmental and mobility subsidies, the Ministry cooperates, among others, with Kommunalkredit Public Consulting GmbH (KPC) as the processing agency.

The Department III 5 of the Ministry has the mission to reconcile the protection and sustainable use of water bodies with the spatial development of rural and urban regions. The goal is to improve the ecological quality of rivers, lakes, and groundwater through legal frameworks, targeted funding programs, and public cooperation, to strengthen regional value creation, and to contribute to climate protection.

The funding programs are aimed at federal states, municipalities, regions, tourism organizations, water supply and wastewater companies, agricultural and forestry enterprises, environmental and nature conservation initiatives, research institutions, as well as engineering and planning offices throughout Austria. The goal is to support both external and internal administrative actors in measures for watercourse renaturation, infrastructure promotion, and sustainable regional development.