Polski
September 6-8, 2023. The 2nd Water Management and Flood Protection Congress was held in the historic complex of the Water Treatment Plant in Krakow’s Bielany district. It was packed with speakers and panel discussions. Guests also had the opportunity to participate in a technical tour.
II Congress on Water Management and Flood Protection – key topics
A workshop was held before the official opening of the Second Congress on Water Management and Flood Protection. The first plenary session discussed the challenges facing the water and wastewater industry. Since current tariffs limit investment opportunities, it is necessary to solve the normative basis for rainwater and snowmelt tariffs. They discussed the model of rainwater system management in Gdansk, water security problems in Poland, funding opportunities for innovative NCBR projects and WFOŚiGW programs, as well as the financial challenges of the pending wastewater directive.
The session on rainwater in the combined sewer system addressed problems with the legal aspects of rainwater and snowmelt management and the poor quality of these regulations. The positive effects of the stormwater drainage fee were also presented. During the debate, management issues in water management were discussed at length, primarily legal problems related to litigation, how to charge for rainwater, as well as the practices of insurance companies.
The 2nd Congress on Water Management and Flood Protection also includes talks on more specific issues. The session on flood protection presented polder solutions implemented in the lower sections of the Vistula River. They are necessary because the embankments cannot be constantly expanded. Actions taken in Krakow in the field of reservoirs and embankments were presented. An interdisciplinary approach to projects combining efficiency with aesthetics was proposed, and the role of hydrological long-term forecasts, mobile pumps and retrofitting hydropower facilities without draining them was highlighted.
The following two sessions presented, among other things. A flash flood warning system in Krakow and storm water drainage system activities in Bydgoszcz. Issues of urban flooding and the possibility of building retention infrastructure were raised, as well as the transfer of strategies to the operational level and the role of hydrodynamic modeling. The debate discussed the impact of the characteristics of the sewer system and its catchment area on urban stormwater management models.
The 2nd Water Management and Flood Protection Congress was the occasion for the presentation of the prestigious Titan 2023 award in the product and project of the year categories.
At the end of the Congress, a technical excursion was organized to the Lesisko pumping station (a district of Nowa Huta) and to the Dobczyce Dam, along with an educational cruise on the reservoir.
Second Congress on Water Management and Flood Protection and its patrons
The congress was patronized by the most important institutions responsible for the area of rainwater and flood safety in Poland, including. The Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the State Water Company Wody Polskie.
The next Congress will be held next year, September 4-6.
