The dam in Nové Heřminovy will begin construction in 2027 according to Výborný

Nové Heřminovy – The dam in Nové Heřminovy in the Bruntál region, which is intended to significantly protect Krnov, Opava, and other municipalities along the Opava River from flooding, will start construction in 2027, according to Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný. If the preparations can be expedited, it may even start a year earlier. Výborný said this today during his visit to the flooded municipalities in Bruntál.

Talk about the dam's construction has intensified since the catastrophic floods in 1997. The government made a definitive decision on its construction 11 years later. Currently, the project has a non-final zoning decision. According to Výborný, organizations Děti Země and Hnutí Duha have appealed against it. The minister called on them to withdraw their appeal.

Chairman of Děti Země Miroslav Patrik told ČTK that he is waiting for Výborný to dismiss the general director of Povodí Odry, who he believes is clearly responsible for the fact that the dam has not yet been built. "If the state wants to build a dam as protection against floods and cannot do so in 20 years, the problem lies within that institution," he said, adding that his organization is not preparing to withdraw the appeal. "Then we would be easily blackmailed in other cases," he stated. Even coordinator of Hnutí Duha Ivo Dokoupil is not considering the withdrawal of the appeal. "Unfortunately, two undesirable phenomena have come together. A not very functional state administration and a state monopoly on flood protection. Povodí Odry has an absolute monopoly as a state enterprise, yet it is unable to protect municipalities from floods quickly and adequately," he mentioned.

In 2019, it was planned to start building the dam in 2022, and it was supposed to be operational by 2027. Last year, spokesperson for the state enterprise Povodí Odry Šárka Vlčková mentioned that 2027 should be the year of the start of construction. According to Výborný, the fact that the dam has not yet been built is the fault of the state. He stated that authorities could have made decisions more quickly, and preparations should have been faster. He believes the state has failed to create an environment that allowed activists and possibly even previous representatives of the municipality of Nové Heřminovy to appeal and thus delay construction. Therefore, Výborný wants to contact the Ministry of Justice. He believes that laws should be adjusted so that the state can more effectively enforce important projects in the public interest.

The Minister of Agriculture also met today with Krnov Mayor Tomáš Hradil (Krnovští Patrioti). Krnov is among the cities that were most affected by the floods in September. Water flooded it by 80 percent. Hradil told ČTK that today's talks brought concrete progress. "We agreed that the design of flood protection measures in Krnov will begin without delay. Originally, 2029 was considered. Now the preparations will be expedited," stated Hradil.

Povodí Odry was supposed to build measures in Krnov independently of the dam's construction. It was to be completed in 2016. However, according to Hradil, the water managers changed their planned procedure and want to build the measures in the city only after the dam in Nové Heřminovy is completed. They stated that measures without the dam would not be effective and that floods would damage them. Hradil disagrees with this. "It's nonsense. The measures should have been here long ago. They can be implemented before the dam," he believes.

Spokesperson for Povodí Odry Šárka Vlčková told ČTK today that the state enterprise does not have information about earlier construction of measures in Krnov. "We see no benefit in dealing with the past. Since the measures in Krnov will be built on the affected flow of the future dam in Nové Heřminovy, the adjustments to the flow do not make sense without it; in fact, their capacity is insufficient for such a significant settlement as the city of Krnov. There will be a tripartite memorandum prepared, where the next steps will be specified," she stated.

Hradil and Výborný also confirmed today that for the first time discussions are starting about flood protection measures on the Opavice River, which flows into the Opava in Krnov. This year, part of the flood damage in Krnov was also caused by this river.