Directive 2007/60/WE of the European Parliament regarding flood risk assessment and management (The Floods Directive) obliges member states to achieve certain aims within given timeframes. The member states are to prepare planning policies, i.e. flood hazard and flood risk maps, by December 2013. The maps should be based on hydraulic models. Preparing the input data includes compiling hydraulic data (the shape of and material from which a river bed and a river valley are made) and data on the hydrotechnical infrastructure and communication. A detailed survey includes bridges and other hydrotechnical structures. The article presents possible use of 3D terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in the survey of structures where measurement using classical methods may be hazardous. And also, where the level of the structure’s complexity for some of the elements is so high, that the classical survey will not deliver eligible results. As an output, there appears to be an entirely measurable 3D model, ready to be used by experts in the field of hydrology and construction.