At 531 miles (854 kilometres) long, the Oder or Odra River is one of the most significant waterways in Central Europe, and a valuable resource for the region’s residents.
However, in July 1997 the Odra overflowed, resulting in disastrous floods in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. Southern Poland was among the worst-hit areas, with the floods responsible for the loss of 54 lives and over a billion dollars’ worth of damage.
As a result, the Polish government – supported by funding from the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and EU institutions – is implementing several flood protection schemes in southern Poland to help mitigate future catastrophe.
We were appointed by the investor, Regional Water Management Authority (RZGW) in Gliwice, to provide construction supervision on one of Poland’s largest anti-flood reservoirs: the Racibórz Dolny dry flood protection polder.
What is the Racibórz Dolny dry flood protection polder?
Situated on the Odra River, just upstream from the ancient town of Racibórz on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic, the Racibórz Dolny dry flood protection polder covers an area of 26 square kilometres and has capacity to store up to 185 million cubic metres of water.
By containing water in the event of a flood, the new facility will help to protect the lives of approximately 2.5 million inhabitants within the flood zone, which extends from Racibórz to the city of Wrocław.
The reservoir itself comprises five facilities: a front dam, left-bank dam, right-bank dam, operational facilities and the polder bowl. To build new structures, the demolition of existing structures was required, making this a complex and multi-faceted project.
The new facility will help to protect the lives of approximately 2.5 million inhabitants within the flood zone, which extends from Racibórz to the city of Wrocław.
What was AECOM’s role on the project?
Our primary role as consulting engineer was to support the investor in executing the works and activities related to the reservoir’s construction.
This involved construction supervision, construction contract management, overseeing the implementation of an environmental management plan, and project financial planning and monitoring.
Additionally, we were responsible for reviewing, inspecting and preparing reports as well as verifying documents from the works contract – including detailed designs and work programmes.
As the project was taken on from another contractor, we also helped facilitate the process of providing renumeration for subcontractors, suppliers and service providers for the original works contractor.
Minimising adverse impacts and overcoming challenges during construction
Throughout the execution of the works, it was important to limit any negative impact on both the environment and residents of nearby towns and villages. The types of impacts we considered ranged from dust, noise and changes in ground and water conditions, to transport disruptions caused by the works.
All these factors necessitated thorough planning and effective collaboration between teams. Therefore, we participated in regular meetings with both the client and contractor to review the progress of the works – and address any issues directly.
Our team also played a pivotal role in navigating challenges during construction. As well as delivering the works during the coronavirus pandemic, there were two major surges of the Odra River in 2017 and 2020. Using our expertise, we assisted in both the preparation for potentially difficult conditions and during them to ensure that the work was completed safely and on time.
Increasing flood resilience and protecting communities
Thanks to our extensive experience, we were able to support the client at key junctures throughout the project to identify the most cost-effective decisions. This enabled the contractor to stay mobilised during the construction process. A key outcome of this was reducing construction lead times, which resulted in the project being completed successfully nearly six months ahead of schedule.
Now that the reservoir is in operation, it will not only significantly increase resilience against flooding but also help protect people, land and wildlife from the worst impacts of flooding.