A river needs space and food. The Taugl delivers it, stones and gravel from the Taugl bottom downstream to the Salzach. Without this food, all rivers downcut deeper and deeper.

The Taugl has downcut thanks to decades of gravel extraction. 40,000 m³ annually were used for expressway and road construction. The streambed became detached from the surrounding terrain. The nearly 200 meter wide streambed forced itself into a narrow channel. The treasure chest of the natural river landscape threatened to disappear.

This is why we see a steep embankment today. The floodplains are cut off from the water, the active riverbed lies 3 to 6 meters lower. Dry sites with winter heath-pine forests developed on the high terraces. Once the commercial gravel extraction stopped (1995), however, the river was able to recover. Over the long term the bottom will rise again somewhat. This is a positive thing for the floodplain and for many life forms that are dependent on it.