In the presence of the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation Marek Gróbarczyk, the Government Plenipotentiary for the Restructuring of the Hard Coal Mining Industry Adam Gawęda, the Member of the Council of Ministers Michał Woś, senators and deputies to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of the 8th term, the President of the State Water Holding Polish Waters and the Director of the Regional Water Management Authority Łukasz Lange, on 10 October this year. at the construction site of the Racibórz Dolny reservoir, Gliwice Polish Waters, together with the Contractor for construction works – a consortium of Budimex S.A. (leader) and Ferrovial Agroman S.A., changed the course of the Odra River, allowing its course through the Overflow and Drain Structure.
The hydrotechnical operation, carried out with the utmost care, proves the material progress of works (85%) of this largest flood protection investment in the country. As a result of the overvoltage of the Odra River to the key hydrotechnical facility of the reservoir under construction, water flowed through the channel leading to the spans of the structure, and after crossing them, it went to the drainage channel and then to the Relief Canal.
The Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, Marek Gróbarczyk, emphasized the importance of the investment for the flood safety of residents. He also pointed to the prospect of transforming the reservoir into a multifunctional facility in the future. He also thanked all participants of the investment process.
As the Director of Gliwice Polish Waters, Łukasz Lange, pointed out, work on the concept of changing the reservoir’s function will begin soon, thanks to the funds secured for this purpose.
The passage of the waters of the Odra River through the BPS was also an opportunity for the President of Polish Waters, Przemysław Daca, to emphasize the role of the contractor in this important contract, its reliability, sense of responsibility and duty, proper to a trustworthy partner.
During a meeting at the construction site, Artur Popko, Vice-President of the Management Board of Budimex SA, announced that the tank under construction will achieve its functionality with the continuity of all dams, which will take place later this year.
The operation was possible thanks to the gate valves previously installed on this facility, which regulate the flow of water. The Overflow and Drain structure is equipped with 6 main gate valves, the operation of which will be carried out mechanically (manually) and automatically (remotely). Each of the gate valves has dimensions of 12 m x over 8.5 m in height, and is lifted to nearly 9 m.
The capacity of the facility is 185 million m³, and the area of the polder is over 26 km². The facility will reduce flood waves of catastrophic floods on the Oder River, protecting the life, health and property of the inhabitants of the three provinces on the Oder River – 2.5 million people. The reservoir will cover an area of about 600 km² with direct and indirect impacts.
The value of the contract is estimated at approx. PLN 2 billion. The budget of the project comes from the funds of the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Union, the State Budget, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
