- Total capacity 185 million m³
- Designed to protect 2.5 million people
- Total polder area of over 26 km²
On 30 June, in the presence of the executive of the National Water Management Authority and the representatives of the main contractor, Budimex, an official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place to mark the completion of works related to the construction of the Racibórz Dolny flood protection reservoir for the upper Oder River.
June saw the finishing touches put in place for this reservoir in Racibórz. The system was planned as a polder, which is a dry area that only fills with water in the event of flooding. The polder will contain the water in the event of a flood event, protecting an area of approximately 600 km², from Racibórz, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Brzeg, Opole, Oława to Wrocław. The project is intended to protect about 2.5 million residents from flood, in three different provinces: Śląskie, Opolskie and Dolnośląskie. The spillway structure is equipped with six main gate valves, which can be operated mechanically or automatically.
“Construction of a flood protection reservoir in Racibórz is a unique investment. It ensures the safety of millions of people and hundreds of towns and cities, including Wrocław. We took over construction from another contractor. In total, nearly thousand people and more than 200 pieces of equipment were required to complete the contract. Thanks to the very good cooperation with the investor and the World Bank funding the investment, the project was completed in the contractual period. We have the extensive experience and capabilities required to implement hydrotechnical structures.”
The Racibórz Dolny Reservoir has a total area of 26.3 km² and a capacity of 185 million cubic metres of water, enough to fill 226 Palaces of Science and Culture in Warsaw. The capacity will be gradually increased to 300 million m³, due to the aggregate to be extracted from the reservoir area. The net value of the construction works performed by Budimex is PLN 672 million.
“The Racibórz Dolny Reservoir is the largest hydrotechnical investment project in Poland. Over 6.8 million tonnes of soil was used for the construction, enough to fill 130,960 freight cars. In a straight line, such a train would stretch from Racibórz to Madrid. ”
The construction works commenced in November 2017 and lasted almost 30 months. Redevelopment of the reservoir in Racibórz Dolny was commissioned by the Regional Water Management Authority in Gliwice. The budget for the project originated from the funds of the World Bank, Council of Europe Development Bank, European Union, National Budget and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Budimex has extensive experience in carrying out hydro-engineering investments. As the general contractor it has reconstructed: ports in Świnoujście and Szczecin, Płonie Channel close to Martwa Wisła in Gdańsk, Rydzyna Reservoir, among others. At present, Budimex is modernizing ports in Gdańsk and improving access to the ports in Gdynia and Świnoujście.
