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Warsaw
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Warsaw University of Technology |
The group was welcomed to Warsaw by Prof. Janusz Kindler, the dean of the Faculty of Water Resources and Environmental Systems. Dr.Kindler talked about Warsaw University of Technology's work in the field of water resources management and the changes in the system during the last decade. He also gave a general introduction to the Wloclawek dam problem, as a preparation to our fieldtrip in the afternoon. |
Visit to Vistula River dam Wloclawek
Wloclawek dam is located on the Vistula River. It was designed to be part of a cascade system, nevertheless, the other dams of the cascade were never built. As a result, there is continuous and severe erosion of the river bed below the dam and the structural stability of the dam is endangered.
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Works to protect river bed at the edge of the stilling basin |
The small islands have been created with the material that is eroded from the river bed. |
If the dam fails, the flood potential is enormous and important historical villages could be destroyed (Copernicus' home town for example). The construction of a second dam of the cascade system, downstream from Wloclawek, is being discussed at the Polish Congress. The second dam would be used to compensate the flow below Wloclawek dam and reduce the erosion.
There are different interests involved in this problem and the decision is not an easy one. There are those whose main interest is to keep the energy generation at Wloclawek; there are those who are worried about the flood damage downstream of the dam; there are environmental groups concerned about the flora and fauna disruption due to the construction of a second dam; etc...
There is another important issue of Wloclawek dam operation.
The Vistula
River is heavily polluted and a lot of people in Poland fear that
the sediment load that is being deposited in the reservoir is toxic and a dam
failure could cause an ecological disaster.
What can be done in this case? There doesn't seem to be a clear answer.
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Our guides |
Generator room |
Measuring structural stability of the dam |
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City
tour in Warsaw
The group had some time to walk in the Old Town in Warsaw.
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Zygmunt's Column was erected here in 1644, it serves to commemorate King Zygmunt who moved the capital from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596. |
Mermaid in the Main Square of the Old Town (15) |
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We
had dinner at one of the restaurants in the Main Square. We thanked
and said good bye to our dear hosts in Warsaw: Dr. Kindler, Agnieszka
and Michael.
In this way we finished our trip through Eastern Europe with our hearts filled with joy for the beautiful and memorable experience we had. We were thankful for the opportunity we had to observe the socioeconomic evolution, technical development, history and culture of this region, all of which determine the water resources planning and the perspectives in future development of these countries.
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Warsaw
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