Flooding River

Flood control measures in Krásná Lípa

In August 2024, much of the Czech Republic was struck by intense torrential rainfall, including the town of Krásná Lípa, where 47.7 mm of rain fell in just two hours on August 18th. This event prompted the declaration of the first level of flood activity in the area.


The incident underscores the importance of the measures developed under the LAND4CLIMATE project. The measures are aimed at increasing the retention capacity of the water runoff and slowing down the water runoff from the area below the pond in the town's intramural area. These measures will allow an extended time for the implementation of flood protection measures downstream. This is an exemplary of and appropriate NBS solution right in the centre of the town of Krásná Lípa at the outlet of the unnamed watercourse from the town pond to the Křinice river. 


As part of updating the development study for the area above the town pond, Krásná Lípa is also preparing proposals for additional measures to retain water in the landscape and reduce runoff. These plans include making land available for private owners to build family homes, as well as revising outdated drainage systems, restoring drainage ditches in forested areas, etc.


This year, Krásná Lípa also continued in the removal of mud and reconstruction of the Kyjovska dam. More than 7,500 cubic meters of mud were removed from the dam, which represents a release of the water storage capacity. This project has been in the pipeline since 2004 and has only been implemented in the last 2 years. Truly, it can take this long to navigate all the approval processes and secure funding before a project can be implemented in the Czech Republic. If it were not for the fire in the nearby national park, Krásná Lípa could not afford such a costly reconstruction of a large water area. The town received a 15 million CZK subsidy from the Ministry of the Environment for the reconstruction, primarily because the dam will also serve as a source of fire water.

 

This article was written by LAND4CLIMATE consortium partner The Town of Krásná Lípa.

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