On Sunday morning, the Racibórz Dolny reservoir on the Odra River began retaining floodwaters, according to a statement from Wody Polskie, Poland’s water authority. Before activating the reservoir, authorities carefully analyzed the hydrological conditions in the Odra River basin in both Poland and the Czech Republic, along with weather forecasts.
The reservoir, designed as a flood control system, started operations around 4:20 a.m. on September 15, 2024. This action aims to intercept and mitigate a surge in water levels that posed a flood risk to communities downstream, including residential areas and critical infrastructure. The decision was made following water level readings at the Krzyżanowice gauge station, which indicated a water level of 690 cm and a flow rate of 750 cubic meters per second.
Before commencing the retention process, several precautionary measures were taken. Local activities, such as gravel extraction and fishing, were suspended, and the flood-control system, including pumping stations, was inspected to ensure proper functionality.
Operational flood protection centers in Gliwice and Wrocław coordinated with other reservoirs in the region—Turawa, Otmuchów, and Nysa—to prevent overlapping flood peaks, which could intensify the situation.
The Racibórz Dolny reservoir was completed in mid-2020, covering an area of 26 square kilometers with a capacity of 185 million cubic meters. The reservoir was built at a cost of approximately 2 billion PLN, funded by the European Union, the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, and the Polish government.