Report from Workshop about Skalička Water Reservoir

On March, 30 2016 in Valašské Meziříčí (Czech Republic), workshop was organized on planned water reservoir Skalička in the Bečva River basin. Workshop was realized under the patronage of the Union for the Morava River.

The Bečva River is a left tributary of the Morava River (which is a left tributary of the Danube River). The Bečva is created by two source streams, the Northern Rožnovská Bečva River, whose valley separates the Moravian-Silesian Beskids in the North from the Vsetínské vrchy in the South, and the Southern Vsetínská Bečva River, whose valley separates the Vsetínské vrchy in the North from the Javorníky in the South. It is draining area about 1600 square kilometres and length of the stream is 61.5 km. Mean annual discharge is 17.3 cubic meters per second in the Dluhonice gauging station (at 9.3 r. km) which is close to the mouth to the Morava River. The Bečva River is typical gravel-bed river which was regulated 100 years ago. Today, river channel is partly re-naturalized, e.g. by floods in 1997 or 2010. Especially at 45.0 to 60.0 r. km some reaches of river channel were re-naturalized to original anabranching channel pattern with amount of gravels accumulations.

Morava River basin Enterprise prepare project of new water reservoir (Skalička Water Reservoir) in the Bečva River basin. It should have volume about 30 million cubic meters in locality of re-naturalized river reach with anabranching channel pattern (at river reach ca. from 46.0 to 50 r. km). The main purpose of the reservoir will be flood control, to protection 100 years return period flood.

Alternatives of flood protection in the Bečva River basin without the Skalička water reservoir construction or with polder construction were presented and discussed during the workhop. Also, one of the main themes of workshop was oriented on river restorations with initiation and support of inundation areas to flood control.