The dam project in Nové Heřminovy has obtained a territorial decision

Prague – The Ministry of Agriculture has obtained a zoning decision for the construction of a dam in Nové Heřminovy in the Bruntál region. Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) informed journalists about this today. “No one can dispute the decision anymore,” he stated. The Hnutí Duha movement then announced in a press release later in the evening that it would not interfere in the permitting process with an administrative lawsuit or other legal actions. According to Výborný, the office will now begin negotiations with the remaining four landowners regarding land acquisition and the building permit process. The construction of the dam, which could have mitigated damages during this year's floods, could therefore begin in 2027, according to him. The dam is expected to provide significant protection against floods for Krnov, Opava, and other municipalities along the Opava River.

According to Výborný, the ministry mostly did not take into account the objections of environmental organizations in the zoning decision, except for minor issues such as the requirement for biological supervision during the construction of the waterworks. He intends to inform the public about the schedule for further steps at a press conference in the early days of the new year.

Discussion about the construction of the dam has intensified since the floods in 1997. The government made a definitive decision about its construction 11 years later. The organizations Děti Země and Hnutí Duha appealed against the zoning decision. The representatives of the municipality of Nové Heřminovy also opposed the construction.

Hnutí Duha Jeseníky appealed against the zoning decision in July 2023, stating that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) was not prepared for alternative solutions as the law suggests, but only for the dam solution. This objection has not been considered by the state authorities either in the past or now. "Hnutí Duha Jeseníky still considers its reservations to be valid, but it will not take any administrative legal actions," stated the movement. The organization considers a dry reservoir to be a more suitable solution.

According to Výborný, the task of preparing and subsequently building the dam will fall to the new general director of the state enterprise Povodí Odry. The minister said today that he would like to appoint him by March 1. The current general director of the state enterprise Povodí Odry, Jiří Tkáč, is leaving the position by mutual agreement. Povodí Odry manages watercourses and waterworks in the Odra basin, covering the territory of the Moravian-Silesian region and part of the Olomouc region. It operates dams like Šance, Kružberk, and Slezská Harta, for example.

In 2019, it was planned to start building the dam in 2022 and it was supposed to be put into operation in 2027. According to Výborný, the fact that the dam is still not built is a mistake by the state. He has previously stated that the authorities could have made decisions more quickly, and the preparation should have been faster. According to him, the state also failed by creating an environment in which activists and previous representatives of the municipality of Nové Heřminovy could appeal, thereby delaying the construction.

According to previous estimates, the Ministry of Agriculture expects that the costs of the dam will reach approximately eight billion crowns. This amount would cover the dam and road construction, and the price includes additional adjustments to the riverbed. In the case of disagreement from landowners regarding land acquisition, according to today’s statement by Výborný, it will be possible to expropriate the land.

The municipality of Nové Heřminovy has long opposed the dam, which is to be partially submerged. Its representatives refer to the results of a referendum that clearly turned against the construction. However, recently the municipality's leadership has somewhat changed its perspective. They remain bound by the referendum but admit that they cannot reverse the state's decision. Therefore, they are focusing more on satisfying the long-neglected needs of the municipality.