A sound pressure system keeps pigeons and seagulls away from the Koblenz weir footbridge
Even before the installation, the Rhein-Zeitung newspaper reported on the dirty new weir footbridge and the calls from Koblenz residents for a solution. The solution came with the installation of a sound pressure system in early March 2012. The Koblenz Water Management Office invested 2.8 million euros in the renovation of the weir footbridge, an important connecting bridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the Moselle River. A new blue bridge with wide parapets was built in place of the old one.
Despite the extensive construction work, the resident pigeons and gulls quickly returned, and the newly opened blue footbridge was soon covered in white bird droppings. The soiling reached a level that even daily cleanings could not remedy. The heavily soiled railings prevented visitors from leaning against them and enjoying the view of the old town and the Moselle River. Furthermore, the bird droppings, especially when wet, posed a slipping hazard and emitted an unpleasant odor. Overt bird control using conventional, mechanical methods was neither feasible nor desirable.
Solution:
To effectively protect the bridge, the weirs and the roofs of the adjacent buildings from bird infestation, a total of 14 Ornigard devices were installed.
These devices generate a sound pressure that is inaudible to humans and most animals, but is perceived by birds as an unpleasant touch to their plumage, effectively driving them away.
Ten of these devices were mounted in a cost-effective manner on the lampposts below the lights, as the distance between the lampposts was ideal for the effective range of the devices.
The Ornigard units are designed to be visually discreet and have been painted in a shade of blue that matches the color of the bridge and the lights, in order to blend harmoniously into the overall picture.
The power supply for the devices was implemented cost-effectively via the existing lampposts.
