vodarenskastola-en

Waterworks tunnel

Don’t stomp your feet! About 130 meters below you is an underground tunnel taking raw water from the Josefův Důl dam (in the forest past the hill) to the treatment plant at Bedřichov (in the valley in front of you).

The Josefův Důl dam can hold over 20 million m3 of water. That would last for four years at current consumption rates. The water level is at 731 m.a.s.l.

The underground tunnel is 2,600 m long, 100 m of which is underwater. This picture was taken just a few meters from the tower.

The water treatment plant and waterworks part of the dam began operating in 1987.

It supplies high-quality drinking water to 55,000 people in Liberec. An underground tunnel leads from under the reinforced concrete tower rising above the surface, accessible by a 150-meter bridge (not open to the public). Besides the pipes for the water, the underground tunnel also holds scientific instruments that can detect minor tremors and movements in the earth’s crust.

The pipes can accommodate 150 l/s on average, with a total capacity of 800 l/s.

This equipment monitors the activity of the granite in the area as well as seismic waves spreading from earthquakes in various parts of the world. Even though the Bedřichov water treatment plant is a modern facility, its architecture looks more like that of a large mountain cabin. One interesting technical feature of the underground works is the water turbines located on each end of the tunnel, generating electricity. So you might almost say that the more water you use in Liberec, the more electricity is generated.

Text: Vladimír Bělohradský, Otokar Simm

Images: Kamil Voděra, Severočeské vodovody a kanalizace, a. s., Vladimír Bělohradský

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