Orlice returned to the original riverbed near Týniště after 30 years

Updates: 13.01.2021 06:35

Týniště nad Orlicí (Rychnov Region) – The river Orlice at Týniště nad Orlicí in the Rychnov Region has returned to its original bed after more than 30 years and its flow has been extended by 400 meters. Work to transfer the river to a decommissioned meander called Jordan began with the state-owned Elbe River Basin in October 2019. The artificial riverbed trough, which was created in the late 1980s, was backfilled by builders. Now they are finishing the work, heavy equipment will leave the site by the end of February. The spokesperson of the Elbe River Basin, Hana Bendová, told ČTK.

According to the Elbe River Basin, the restoration of the Jordan arm will have a positive effect on the ecological stability of the area and the water regime of the landscape. “The renewed meander should help raise groundwater levels and help retain water in the landscape,” Bend said. The construction will cost 17.8 million crowns and has been divided into two construction seasons. According to the conditions of conservationists, work could only be done from September to the end of February. The whole site is part of the Orlice Nature Park.

In the past, the parked arm was loosely connected to the Orlice riverbed in the lower outlet part. In the upper inlet part, the water flowed into it insufficiently only through the pipes, which caused the gradual overgrowth of the riverbed and the deteriorated water quality in the arm.

The workers cleaned Meander Jordan of sediments and blinded the direct bed and covered it for the most part. The surrounding area will also be planted with trees. The riverbed will have a boulder slide with a pond in the middle and the banks will be reinforced with stones in several places.

In the future, the Elbe River Basin is preparing to restore and revive other blind and dead branches of the Elbe and Orlice in Hradec Králové. The aim is to retain water in the landscape and restore valuable water and wetland habitats. Three river branches on the Elbe and five on the Orlice should undergo restoration. Mostly it will be a question of their removal of mud and cleaning, because it is not always realistic and desirable to connect dead riverbeds with the river.

Gradually, the Elbe blind arms of Třebešská Labice, Jesýpek and Machkova Labice should be cleaned up and revived. In Orlice, the river branches Bejkovna, Holštejn, Jesuit Lakes, Stará Orlice and Sýkorky are planned. Administrative and project preparation of projects could take about three years.