The water problem at the Turów mine is back. The Czech Republic presents new data

The Czech Ministry of Environment announced on Wednesday that it demands that Poland take further actions to prevent the outflow of groundwater in the area of ​​the Turów lignite mine. At the same time, it requests the presentation of the current mining plan for this mine.

For several months, Czech experts analyzed the hydrogeological model provided by the Polish side, which is based on data from the first half of 2024. According to the Minister of the Environment, Petr Hladik, experts assessed it as consistent with reality and correct.

The model's results and conclusions correspond to the current state of monitored groundwater levels, but predict that despite the underground seal wall built in the mine, the groundwater level in the vicinity of the mine may drop in the future. According to the model, despite the built barrier, water can penetrate lower – to places that are no longer sealed. Therefore, the authors of the model expect the water level to decrease.

Therefore, I asked the Polish Minister of Climate and Environment (Paulina Hennig-Kloska) to present the current mining plan in the Turów mine by the end of this year. We also want to know the measures that Poland will take to minimize the expected drop in water levels, the ministry's statement quotes Minister Hladik.

The Turów open-pit lignite mine is located near the Czech-Polish border and supplies coal mainly to the neighboring power plant. The PGE Group, which owns the mine and the power plant, plans mining until 2044. The underground barrier is intended to prevent the outflow of water from the Czech territory, and an embankment covered with greenery is intended to protect residents on the Czech side from noise and dust from the mine. Such solutions are provided for in the intergovernmental agreement of 2022, which, among other things, led to the withdrawal of the Czech complaint against Poland from the Court of Justice of the EU.

From Prague Piotr Górecki (PAP)

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