On 30 June this year, in the presence of the authorities of the State Water Holding Polish Waters and the main contractor Budimex, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place, symbolising the completion of works related to the construction of the Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir for the upper course of the Oder.
In June, the last finishing works at the reservoir in Racibórz were completed. The installation has been designed as a polder, i.e. a dry facility that will be filled only in the event of flooding. When the wave arrives, the polder will dam up the water, securing an area of about 600 km² from Racibórz through Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Brzeg, Opole, Oława, to Wrocław. The investment will protect nearly 2.5 million residents from the elements in three voivodeships: Silesian, Opole and Lower Silesian. The overflow and drain structure is equipped with six main gate valves, the operation of which will be mechanical and automatic.
– The construction of the flood control reservoir in Racibórz is a unique investment. It ensures the safety of millions of people, and hundreds of towns, including Wrocław. We took over the construction after other contractors. Nearly a thousand people and over 200 units of equipment worked on the contract. Thanks to very good cooperation with the investor and the World Bank, which financed the investment, we completed the investment within the contractual deadline. We have extensive experience and capabilities in the implementation of hydrotechnical structures – says Artur Popko. Vice-President of the Management Board – Construction Director of Budimex SA
The Racibórz Dolny reservoir has an area of 26.3 km² and will hold 185 million cubic meters of water, which is as much as would fit in 226 Palaces of Culture. The volume of the facility will gradually increase to 300 million m³, due to the aggregate extracted in the canopy. The net value of the construction works carried out by Budimex is PLN 672 million.
– The Racibórz Dolny reservoir is the largest hydrotechnical investment in Poland. More than 6.8 million tons of soil were used for the construction, which would accommodate a total of 130,960 freight wagons. Such a long train in a straight line would lead from Racibórz to Madrid – explains Artur Popko.
Construction works began in November 2017 and lasted nearly 30 months. The reconstruction of the Racibórz Dolny reservoir was commissioned by the Regional Water Management Authority in Gliwice. The budget of the project comes from the funds of the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Union, the State Budget and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Budimex has extensive experience in the implementation of hydrotechnical investments. As a general contractor, it rebuilt, among others: the ports in Świnoujście and Szczecin, the Płonie Canal at the Martwa Wisła River in Gdańsk and the Rydzyna Water Reservoir. Currently, Budimex is also modernising the ports of Gdańsk and improving access to the ports of Gdynia and Świnoujście.
