Following the release of massive amounts of pollution into the Bóbr River, authorities have imposed a complete ban on the use of the affected waters. The regulation was issued by Lower Silesian Voivode Anna Żabska.
State-owned energy company Tauron is carrying out renovation work on the dam at Lake Pilchowickie. As part of the project, the reservoir was drained, leading to a mass fish die-off and an ecological disaster in the Bóbr River.
Niezależna.pl obtained recordings from a crisis management meeting in Lwówek Śląski. According to officials speaking at the meeting, the river has been contaminated by an enormous volume of bottom sediment. The flow of this material—estimated at up to 8 million tonnes—could continue for as long as two years, until the reservoir is scheduled to be refilled. The rapid deterioration in water quality and the complete depletion of oxygen near the dam have caused severe environmental contamination, posing risks to groundwater resources and the safety of nearby residents, including those living in Lwówek Śląski.
According to TV Republika journalist Janusz Życzkowski, the voivode has now issued a regulation introducing a total ban on the use of the Bóbr River along the stretch between the Pilchowice dam and Lake Rakowice.
The ban covers:
- Entering the water, including swimming;
- Watering animals;
- Recreational and commercial fishing;
- Using river water for commercial purposes;
- Operating watercraft.
According to the regulation, the legal basis for the restrictions is provided by laboratory tests conducted by the Lower Silesian Provincial Sanitary Inspector in Wrocław on water samples collected from the Bóbr River between kilometer 196+130 (the crest of the Pilchowice dam) and kilometer 166+024 (Lake Rakowice Reservoir).
“The regulation is based on the results of laboratory tests carried out by the Lower Silesian Provincial Sanitary Inspector in Wrocław concerning the quality of the waters of the Bóbr River along the section from kilometer 196+130 (Pilchowice dam crest) to kilometer 166+024 (Rakowice Reservoir). The microbiological test report indicates that the water within this section does not meet the standards required for designated bathing waters or sites occasionally used for bathing, in accordance with the applicable legal regulations,” the voivode’s regulation states.