The construction of the dam in Heřminovy is set to begin by October 2027, the municipality is preparing a referendum

Prague - The construction of a flood protection dam in Nové Heřminovy in the Bruntál region is expected to begin by October 2027, said Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) today. The project is estimated to cost around nine billion crowns. Additional funds will be needed for the purchase of land from 18 individuals and the municipality, part of which will be flooded by the dam. Nové Heřminovy will hold a new referendum on the construction. In 2008, residents rejected it, but the current leadership of the municipality does not wish to oppose it. According to the plan published today, the dam should be completed by 2032; however, Hnutí Duha Jeseníky considers this unrealistic.

The minister expects to issue a building permit by mid-2026, followed by an international tender for the company that will construct the dam. The construction of the reservoir is expected to cost 4.7 billion crowns, while the adjustments below the reservoir will require 1.7 billion crowns. Approximately 2.6 billion crowns is expected to be paid for relocating a first-class road, part of whose current route will be inundated by the planned dam.

Before construction begins, the transfer of land from five state organizations needs to occur in the coming weeks, which the minister described as a formality since it involves a gratuitous transfer. "What is no longer a formality is the completion of property settlement with 18 individuals and the municipality of Nové Heřminovy," said Výborný. The Ministry plans to contact landowners with a purchase agreement at the turn of January and February. If an agreement is not reached, expropriation with compensation will follow. According to Výborný, citizens will have a month to decide; expropriation would take about a year.

The municipality's leadership wants to cooperate with the state, including in the purchase of municipal lands. The referendum on the construction will likely take place in February or March in Nové Heřminovy. "We are currently working on the wording of the question," said Deputy Mayor Tomáš Foros (Citizens for the Development of the Town) to ČTK.

Ivo Dokoupil from Hnutí Duha Jeseníky, which has long advocated for alternative flood protection measures rather than the construction of a dam, told ČTK that the new referendum may not end in favor of the dam. "The dam will not protect the residents of Nové Heřminovy at all. It lies below the municipality. And nothing is planned that would protect them. Therefore, not everyone is in favor of the dam today," he said. He pointed out that if the new referendum is invalid and against the dam, the municipality will be bound by the old one. According to him, this means they must act against the dam. This would also mean resistance in the sale or expropriation of lands. "The dispute would then end up in court and could drag on for several years," he added.

Dokoupil therefore also considers it unrealistic for the construction to be completed by 2032. He expects it to take many years or decades. A similar opinion is held by water management expert Ondřej Simon from the Czech University of Life Sciences (ČZU). "If there is enough money, I see the completion of the dam as realistic in one to two decades, but it will likely be similar to nuclear power plants; it will be later and at a higher cost than everyone currently thinks," he said. On the other hand, Tomáš Hrdinka from the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute does not expect any administrative or legal delays.

The dam in Nové Heřminovy is part of a series of flood protection measures on the upper flow of the Opava River, which are intended to protect a number of municipalities and towns downstream from a once-in-a-century flood. This includes Zátor, Brantice, and Krnov, as well as Opava. The September floods last year caused damages of over ten billion crowns in these areas alone. According to Povodí Odry, the damage would have been less if the dam were already in place. Discussions about its construction have been ongoing since 1997 when northern Moravia and Silesia were also hit by devastating floods. The state decided on the construction in 2008, but it has yet to start.

Hnutí Duha considers dry reservoirs a more suitable solution and will continue to seek comprehensive flood protection, advocating that flood protection competencies should be transferred from the state enterprise to municipalities. According to Dokoupil, other measures would be more effective and would place less burden on the environment. The movement will no longer intervene in the dam's permitting process but plans to submit comments during the construction proceedings if deemed necessary.