The Racibórz Dolny reservoir not only serves a protective function against floods, but also provides an interesting cycling route for lovers of active recreation. Within the reservoir, there are approximately 22 km of service roads leading along the crowns of the dams, which can be traversed by bicycle. This figure does not include the routes inside the reservoir itself. Thanks to an agreement between the city administration of Racibórz and Wodami Polskie in Gliwice, a new 4 km long cycle path has been opened, providing even more opportunities for cycling enthusiasts.

The Racibórz Dolny reservoir is located in the Oder River valley, north of the Krzyżanowice - Buków road bridge. It extends from kilometre 33,580 to kilometre 46,300 of the river, above Racibórz, and is therefore located directly below the Buków polder. The area in which the reservoir is located is in the district of Racibórz, in the municipalities of Krzyżanowice, Racibórz and Kornowac, and in the district of Wodzisław, in the municipality of Lubomia, in the Silesian Voivodeship. The main purpose of the reservoir is to provide flood protection for more than 1.3 million people living in the Silesian, Opole and Lower Silesian provinces.

The construction of the polder has also made it possible to achieve one of the objectives of the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007. (Directive 2007/60/EC), which is to minimise flood risk and reduce the effects of flooding. The Racibórz polder is operated as a dry flood reservoir, which means that its impact on the Oder River is only related to flood periods. The reservoir does not affect low and medium flows. In the range of flows up to Q=470 m3/s (bank water, p=50%) at least one gate valve, in the threshold span, is raised allowing the Oder River to flow freely into the relief channel.

The Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir passes surges with an ecologically permitted flow, i.e. Q=1210 m3/s, without damming. Outside periods of surge, the reservoir is empty, except for the pits and the Oder River itself. The reservoir only reduces flood waves whose culminations exceed the Q=1210 m3/s determined in the environmental impact report for the section of the Oder below Raciborz. Flood waves with a culmination of up to 2400 m3/s are reduced by the reservoir to Q=1210 m3/s. In the case of a flood wave with a culmination of 3120 m3/s, similar to the catastrophic one of 1997, the reservoir reduces the flow to a level of 1538 m3/s.

The Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir is currently the largest hydrotechnical structure in Poland. Its purpose is to protect the 2.5 million inhabitants of the three Oder River provinces of Silesia, Opole and Lower Silesia from 100- and 1,000-year floods. In this way, it is possible to avoid serious damage such as that which occurred in the southern part of the country in 1997 and 2010. The film shows how the Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir works.

Although the official opening of the flood control reservoir took place in June, the facility became fully functional in January 2021, protecting towns and cities in the Oder River valley from flooding. The Racibórz Dolny flood control reservoir, which covers an area of 26.3 km² in the Wodzisław and Racibórz districts, can hold up to 185 million m³ of water and directly and indirectly protects around 2.5 million residents of southwestern Poland.

The reservoir's capacity is estimated to be around 1.5 million inhabitants.

The areas affected by the reservoir have faced numerous floods over the centuries, such as the flood of the millennium in 1997 and the 100-year flood in 2010. The first of these resulted in 56 deaths and property damage estimated at over 8.5 billion. The newly constructed flood control reservoir prevents such a situation from happening again by protecting the areas downstream from catastrophic floods. By providing flood retention, the reservoir noticeably reduces the flow of water below the hydrotechnical facility.

The Racibórz Dolny Flood Reservoir was designed to protect the areas downstream of the Oder River from the major floods that hit these areas from time to time. Smaller floods with a flow of less than 1,210 m³/s will not be reduced by this facility and therefore will not dam the water. In such situations, the role of flood protection is taken over by other hydrotechnical structures and facilities, such as the Buków polder, dikes or mobile closures.

In the periods between surges, during normal use of the facility, the reservoir basin is managed by aggregate extraction, agricultural or recreational activities. However, due to the flood control function, no permanent structure may be built on the reservoir. In the event of the arrival of a flood wave, information on the need to vacate the reservoir area will be given in the mass media.

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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Racibórz Dolny Reservoir

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