Author(s): Boguslaw Pawlowski
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Ice jam; Dam reservoirs; Sedimentation; Climate impact
Abstract:
The upstream section of the Wloclawek Reservoir near Plock is one of the most ice jam-prone stretches of any river in Poland. In February 2021, after the frontal progression of ice cover in the area of Plock, large fragments of the cover flowed down the river twice. On the second occasion, it happened in the afternoon on 10 February and and then an ice jam was formed, with ice jam head in the area of Wola Brwilenska. The water level in Plock exceeded the alarm stage by 2 meters. The damming ice masses at the ice jam head were the height of icebreakers, and the colour of the ice and the presence of mineral matter indicated that it had been in contact with the river bottom. As a result, the icebreaking operation in the ice jam head area was progressing at only 1–1.5 km/day. The results of all analyses indicate that the bottom of the reservoir is rising at Plock and downstream. The total cubic volume of dredging work carried out in recent years is at least an order of magnitude smaller than required, whereas the intensity of sedimentation keeps increasing.
Year: 2024