The south of Olomouc will also receive flood protection. But the construction will not start until spring, now bats are nesting here

The costs will be covered by subsidies from the Environmental Operational Program and a financial contribution from the Olomouc Town Hall. “We selected a contractor at the end of October and we will start preparing the construction during the winter,” Povodí Moravy spokesman Petr Chmelař said on Friday.

The stage being prepared will provide anti-flood protection for the southern development of Olomouc for flows in the Moravia River of up to 650 cubic meters per second, which corresponds to an almost four-hundred-year flood. This will increase flood protection for approximately 2,300 residents of this part of Olomouc. The project follows on from the recently completed stage protecting the city center.

“Our solution is based on the principle that the spill occurs outside the built-up area. Flood waters do not encounter any obstacles when leaving the city and freely spill into the countryside. This will have a positive effect on the entire city line in Olomouc and at the same time in the municipalities further down the river, so that the force of the flood wave will be reduced,” Tomáš Bělaška, investment director of Povodí Morava, described the effect of the planned anti-flood measures.

The Morava Basin is waiting for the subsidy to be allocated, which it should receive within a few weeks. However, construction work will only start in the spring, as bats nest in this location in the fall. “The fourth stage is an anti-flood measure close to nature in accordance with the public interest of nature protection. Particularly due to the presence of specially protected bats, strict conditions were set when permitting the felling of trees,” said Petr Loyka, head of the municipality’s environmental department.

According to the general director of Povodí Morava Václav Gargulák, the upcoming stage of anti-flood measures will ensure the conditions for the natural development of this location, which will become a great attraction for the residents of Olomouc. “The project includes the revitalization of the right bank of the Morava River near the wastewater treatment plant, the reconstruction of the existing right-bank offset protective dam and the connection of the left-bank closed arm, where a new pool will be created,” said Gargulák.

The construction of flood protection measures in Olomouc on the Morava River is divided into several stages. Last year, a part near the center of Olomouc was completed, the construction of which began in the spring of 2018 and followed on from the previous two completed stages. The investment for 730 million crowns included the construction of two bridges in Komenského Street and Masarykova Street, the construction of dams and anti-flood walls, as well as the expansion of the Morava River bed and embankment. Experts are preparing anti-flood improvements from the bridge in Komenského street towards the north against the flow of the Morava River and the Trusowické brook up to Černovír.

Source: ČTK