Polish Waters have been working intensively on increasing residents flood protection in many polish regions and have just completed another investment in Podkarpacie. This region is particularly vulnerable to flooding. It is also where a number of PGW WP activities related to the modernization and construction of flood protection infrastructure are concentrated. One of such is already completed construction of 6 km of new levees of the Wisłoka River and the Kiełkowski Stream. The protection will cover the areas of Mielec and Przecław communes.
Providing adequate flood protection for the inhabitants is one of the Polish Waters priorities. Flood safety is ensured by the construction and reconstruction of flood protection installments, as well as by taking into account ecosystem services. One of the investments showing how technical and non-technical measures can be combined is construction of new Wisłoka River levees, which were led along a new trail, moving them away from the river. This innovative approach allows to increase the floodplain area in the Wisłoka inter-embankment. This helps to stop the flood waters in the valley, increasing flood safety, weakening the strength of the water, giving it the possibility of spilling over a larger area. It also enables stabilization of the groundwater level in its vicinity, which has positive effect on ecosystems during low flows.
Overbank flow is natural, cyclical phenomena. In the Polish Waters, we conduct investments in response to the intensifying extreme occurrences such as: bankful flows, floods and droughts. Giving space to rivers in specific sections will intensify effectiveness of technical activities that we conduct to protect nearly 15 million people living in Poland’s floodplains under the #StopPowodzi project.
– This investment is a model example of cooperation of Polish Waters with the Province Governor, Province Marshal, and local governments – emphasized Robert Chciuk, Deputy President of Polish Waters during the official acceptance of the task called “Construction of flood embankments on the Wisłoka River at km 27 + 100 to 31+ 400 and the Kiełkowski stream at km of the embankment from 0 + 150 to 1 + 971 in Mielec and Przecław communes, Podkarpackie province”.
Małgorzata Wajda, the Director of the Regional Water Management Board in Rzeszów, who was present at the ceremony, thanked the Governor and local government officials for the efficiency in real estate purchase procedures. The route of the new embankments is significantly moved away from the Wisłoka riverbed, therefore there were 12 farms in the area of the embankment. Before the works were performed, these farms were purchased so that their owners could move to new places of residence in advance.
Thanks to the project’s implementation that consisted of constructing almost 6 km of the new left-hand side of the Wisłok’s stream and the left-side of the Kiełkowski’s stream levees approximately 650 residents, inhabiting altogether the area of around 557 ha have been protected. In Boża Wola of Mielec commune and also in Kiełków of Przecław commune,. The total value of the venture – including works, compensation and documentation, was 21.7 million zlotych, of which 13 million came from the ERDF under the Regional Operational Program.
The project, worth nearly PLN 15 million, was carried out by PGW WP as part of the Regional Operational Program by Podkarpackie Governorship. Construction works started in October 2019. Contractors assumed their finalization in September 2021, but thanks to good organization, project was completed almost a year ahead of schedule.