PL
In October, representatives of the Management Board of the Regional Water Management Authority in Kraków met with councilors and residents.of the municipalities of Szczurowa and Koszyce. Preliminary plans for the location of the flood retention basin in the Vistula Valley in these municipalities were presented.The scale of this investment is comparable to the Kazimierz Dolny reservoir in the Oder Valley.The October meetings precede the official public consultations.in which the floodplain is one of the alternative solutions. The consultations will take place later this year.
The expected capacity of the floodplain will be approximately 206 million m3, covering an area of about 35 km². Therefore, the facility will have a larger area and capacity than the largest existing dry reservoir in Poland, located in Racibórz Dolny in the Oder Valley (185 million m3 and 26.3 km²). The planned investment is part of the “Retention Measures Program for Flood Risk Management in the Upper Western Vistula and Upper Eastern Vistula River Basins between Kraków and Zawichost.” The program aims to increase the safety of the region’s residents from flood risks while maintaining the highest environmental standards.
The safety of 140,000 people.
The area of the flood retention reservoir at the junction of the Koszyce and Szczurowa municipalities has been designated as an optimal location to enhance flood safety for approximately 140,000 people. The protection will primarily cover residents of flood-prone areas, as well as 12 strategic facilities, including: Połaniec Power Plant; Grupa Azoty Mining and Chemical Plants of Sulphur “Siarkopol” S.A. in Grzybów – Water Treatment Station, Tursko Małe; Siarkopol S.A. Sulphur Mine “Osiek”; Tarnobrzeg Industrial and Technological Park; Pilkington Polska Sp. z o.o.; Industrial Zone “Jeziórko”; PGE Renewable Energy – PV Jeziórko 100 M.
A flood retention reservoir is planned
The flood retention reservoir presented at the meetings in Szczurowa and Koszyce is designed to be a space that can be used for agricultural purposes or recreational activities on a daily basis. However, due to its intended use, it cannot be inhabited. In the event of a flood risk, water will be accumulated in the area, causing the so-called backflow of the Vistula River to a maximum level of 184.00 m above sea level. The basin of the reservoir will be enclosed by embankments up to the elevation of 185.00 m. As a result, approximately 16 km of embankments will need to be raised, about 7 km of new embankments will be constructed, and around 14 km of embankments will be dismantled. Provincial roads and bridge structures will be elevated above the level of the reservoir, ensuring access even during periods of flooding.
Compensation has been announced.
In the case of project implementation, it will be necessary to relocate the current residents and users of the properties in these areas. As part of the compensation, property owners will receive compensation at market prices based on replacement values. Agricultural lands remaining within the polder area will continue to be usable, and the decision regarding their ownership will remain with the property owners. As stated by representatives of the Polish Waters, this is the conceptual phase of the project, meaning that the area of the planned polder may still undergo changes.
Not only Szczurowa and Koszyce
Bezpieczeństwo powodziowe w regionie będzie wzmacniał także proponowany niżej mniejszy polder (Przykop) o pojemności ok. 20 mln m3. Projekt programu działań, zawierający wymienione inwestycje obejmuje także inne działania, w tym cały katalog pilotażowych przedsięwzięć ukierunkowanych na zwiększenie retencji naturalnej (odtwarzanie starorzeczy, bagnisk i mokradeł, rowów melioracyjnych oraz zalesianie).
Public consultations will take place at the turn of November and December.
All variant proposals will be thoroughly discussed during the public consultations, which will start on November 29 and run until December 19, 2024. Everyone will have the opportunity to submit comments, suggestions, and proposals regarding the investment and the entire project. Detailed information about the meetings and methods of submitting comments will be provided on the websites and Facebook pages of the Regional Water Management Authority and “Safe Vistula.”Public consultations will take place at the turn of November and December.
The “Safe Vistula – Ecologically Towards the Future” program is part of the strategic project of the Polish Waters, POPDOW (Flood Protection Project in the Oder and Vistula River Basin).