On September 29, 2021, in the Office of the Węgorzewo Municipality, an agreement was signed for the execution of works under the project: Construction and redevelopment of infrastructure related to the development of the economic functions of the Great Masurian Lakes waterway, including the construction of the “Guzianka II” lock and renovation of the “Guzianka I” lock / Stage III – renovation of the “Guzianka I” lock, renovation of the lock and weir in Karwik, a weir in Kwik, improvement of the patency of the WJM waterway by carrying out hydrotechnical work on the canals and their connections with the lakes, reconstruction and reinforcement of 3 canals and the Węgorapa River, reconstruction of the lakeside of Mikołajskie and Niegocin Lakes.
The works in question will consist of the demolition of the existing, damaged shoreline reinforcements that do not fulfill their function and the construction of a new shoreline reinforcement on the Węgorapa River. In addition, repair works and the repair of damaged reinforcements – fulfilling their technical functions and the reconstruction of the stone approach walls and the execution of the superstructure of the existing riprap will be accomplished.
The project aims to protect the Węgorapa River banks against scouring caused both by natural processes causing erosion of the banks and by vessels navigating on the waters of the Węgorapa River. The project also aims to improve navigational safety by achieving adequate transit depth and waterway width. The following long-term goals will be achieved through the implementation of the project:
- improving the safety of navigation and water tourism,
- increased safety of the local community,
- increasing the attractiveness of the region and its socio-economic development.
The Węgorapa River is navigable in the system of the Great Masurian Lakes, which is part of the Pisz-Węgorzewo navigable route. The Mamry Lake outlet to Węgorzewski Channel is about 1,022 m long and 25-60 m wide. About 1 km below the Mamry Lake outlet, the river is shortened by the Węgorzewski Channel, cutting off the oxbow with an artificial island. Then the channel joins the oxbow again and flows into the port section in the town of Węgorzewo. The town section is about 800 m long. It ends at the “Zamek” weir, which dams the water up in the harbor section of Węgorzewo to the required navigable water level and regulates the outflow to the lower station on the no longer navigable Węgorapa River section.
This project is a component of the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure connected with the development of economic functions on the Great Masurian Lakes waterways described in the socio-economic development strategy of the area (“Great Masurian Lakes 2020 – strategy”), constituting its third stage.
The project is implemented based on a partnership agreement between the Great Masurian Lakes Association 2020 and the State Water Management Company Wody Polskie Regional Water Management Board in Warsaw and based on an agreement on co-financing from the ERDF funds concluded with the Marshal’s Office in Olsztyn.
The cost of the construction works is PLN 21 857 993.15. EU funding: PLN 18,579,294.18, State Budget funds: PLN 3,278,698.97.
*On the photo from the left:
Robert Chciuk – Deputy President for Water Services, Polish Water Management Authority “Wody Polskie”
Krzysztof Łygoński – Investor’s Supervision Inspector
Piotr Siemaszko – Director of Department of Hydraulic Engineering of DORACO Construction Corporation
Radosław Jarosiewicz – Vice President of the Management Board of Doraco Construction Corporation