From 13 to 14 January 2016 field inspections and individual meetings in the Drawa basin took place. Their aim was to discuss the initial concepts of ecological barriers restoration, such as dams near hydroelectric power plants, weirs, thresholds. They were held in connection to an agreement signed on 4 January 2016 between RDEP in Szczecin and DHV Hydroprojekt plc to implement concepts and building and executive projects on the restorations within the LIFEDrawaPL project.
W spotkaniach uczestniczyli przedstawiciele beneficjenta projektu (RDOŚ w Szczecinie), wykonawcy (DHV The meetings were attended by the project’s beneficiary representatives (RDEP in Szczecin), the contractors (DHV Hydroprojekt plc), the project’s partner (DNP), EW Kamienna (Enea Wytwarzanie), invited external experts (the members of the Steering Group and others). The inspections included the objects consecutively scheduled in the project to be unblocked, which are migration barriers and threats to water-crowfoots rivers habitat:
- The dam next to EW Kamienna in Głusko, where an effective fish ladder is planne
- The River Sucha estuary into the Drawa below EW Kamienna, where it is expected to limit the road embankment erosion and to rehabilitate the Sucha and Drawa estuarial area and below.
- The weirs in the lower section of the river Korytnica scheduled to be restored with fish ladders.
- The old threshold in the Korytnica lower section, where the improvement of ecological patency has been planned.
- The dam next to MEW Koleśno in Drawsko Pomorskie, where restoration via a technical or nature like pass has been planned.
- The threshold at the old mill in Głęboczek, where restoration via a nature like pass has been planned.
- The threshold at Staszica Street in Złocieniec designed to be restored in a form of rapids.
During the meeting many fruitful discussions among experts were held, which can only have a positive impact on the implementation of the activities mentioned above by increasing their efficiency. In conclusion, the attention was drawn to the need for good communication between the beneficiary, the contractor, managers, water and land owners and experts. Also the need for taking into account the possibility of monitoring the effectiveness of the newly established hydrotechnical objects and making them available to the tourist was stressed. Besides the most important advantage of ensuring the biological continuity of the river ecosystem, the implementation of actions has a great social value, mainly in an economic and educational aspect.
Today the Drawa and its basin are an important aspect of tourism, very important for the local community. The improvement of its ecological status is to, in addition to the protection of valuable habitats and their inhabitants, open new opportunities for its development, but also to align tourist pressure to a level safe for ecosystem, along with its transfer to other than today, basin parts.
For the team which is to prepare concepts, and restoration projects after consultation, the meeting was an opportunity to make themselves directly familiarize with the terrain, the specificity of individual objects, as well as the expectations of those implementing the project and experts. It should be emphasized that the meeting was attended by scientists dealing with the problems of the basin for years: prof. Peter Dębowski of Inland Fisheries Institute, Department of Migratory Fish, prof. Roman Żurek of the Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, prof. Robert Czerniawski from the University of Szczecin and Joseph Jeleński, an engineer of great experience in the field of river restoration.
While welcoming the participants the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Szczecin Radosław Grzegorczyk stressed the importance of the project for both the RDEP statutory tasks implementation and the communities of the region.
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