1. Odra - Vistula Flood Management Project
1B.2 Stage I and Stage II
Modernisation works on the Border Odra River
INFORMATION MEETING
Szczecin,

2. Current status of the EIA procedure
Date
submission of an application for obtaining an environmental decision
Submission of EIA Report
submission of supplements to the EIA Report
09–
public consultations for the Polish side
public consultations for the German side
call to supplement the EIA Report and to reply to the comments submitted
in the course of public participation
6 May 2019 (in Polish)
31 May 2019 (in German)- planned
Submission of replies to comments received during the public consultations to the authority issuing the environmental decision
Submission of a consolidated EIA Report
06– 07,2019
planned
Renewed public consultations including the organisation of a meeting on the German side
Submission of the translated environmental decision to the competent authority of the Exposed Party
Authority conducting the proceedings
Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Szczecin

3. Cross-border environmental impact assessment procedure
STEP
Action
Implementation YES / NO
Date of execution of the action/ Planned date of execution of the action 1
Decision of the authority conducting the procedure on issuing an environmental decision on conducting a procedure on cross-border environmental impact
YES
December 2017
RDOŚ [RDEP] decision in Szczecin to carry out a cross-border environmental impact assessment procedure 2
Informing (by the authority carrying out the proceedings) the General Director for Environmental Protection about the possibility of cross-border environmental impact of the planned project and providing him with the information sheet for the project 3
Informing the Exposed Party by the General Director for Environmental Protection (with the translated KIP attached)
January 2018
Information from the General Directorate for Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Rural Development, Environment and Agriculture of the Land of Brandenburg pursuant to the Article 2(2)(2) of the German-Polish Environmental Agreement on the planned project "1B.2 stage I and stage II. Modernisation works on the Border Odra River within the framework of the project "Odra - Vistula Flood Management Project", which may have serious adverse effects on the environment of the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.
On the German side, according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (§§ 54 nn., § 58 par. 5 UPVG), the General Directorate for Waterways and Shipping is the competent authority to carry out subsequent stages of the cross-border environmental impact assessment process.
Handing over the KIP to the German side.

4. Cross-border environmental impact assessment procedure - continued
STEP
Action
Implementation YES / NO
Date of execution of the action/ Planned date of execution of the action 1
Decision of the authority conducting the procedure on issuing an environmental decision on conducting a procedure on cross-border environmental impact
YES
December 2017
RDOŚ [RDEP] decision in Szczecin to carry out a cross-border environmental impact assessment procedure 2
Informing (by the authority carrying out the proceedings) the General Director for Environmental Protection about the possibility of cross-border environmental impact of the planned project and providing him with the information sheet for the project 3
Informing the Exposed Party by the General Director for Environmental Protection (with the translated KIP attached)
January 2018
Information from the General Directorate for Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Rural Development, Environment and Agriculture of the Land of Brandenburg pursuant to the Article 2(2)(2) of the German-Polish Environmental Agreement on the planned project "1B.2 stage I and stage II. Modernisation works on the Border Odra River within the framework of the project "Odra - Vistula Flood Management Project", which may have serious adverse effects on the environment of the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.
On the German side, according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (§§ 54 nn., § 58 par. 5 UPVG), the General Directorate for Waterways and Shipping is the competent authority to carry out subsequent stages of the cross-border environmental impact assessment process.
Handing over the KIP to the German side. 4
The General Director for Environmental Protection, in the notification of possible cross-border environmental impact, proposes a deadline for answering whether the exposed country is interested in participating in the cross-border environmental impact procedure.
 Indicating the deadline - within 30 days 5
Declaration by the German party on its wish to participate in the proceedings
February 2018

5. Cross-border environmental impact assessment procedure - continued
STEP
Action
Implementation YES / NO
Date of execution of the action/ Planned date of execution of the action 6
The General Director for Environmental Protection, in consultation with the administrative authority carrying out the environmental impact assessment of the project, agrees with such country the deadlines for the stages of the proceedings, taking into account the need to ensure the possibility of participation in the proceedings of the competent authorities and the community of this country.
YES 7
Submission of the EIA Report to the Exposed Party
September 2018
Submission of the EIA Report translated into German 8
Bringing comments by the participants in the proceedings of the Exposed Party - public consultations for the community of the Exposed Party
October / November 2018
Public consultations on the German side 9
Submission of comments from the German Party
January 2019 10
Analysis of comments by the Investor
January April 2019 11
Submission of replies to comments received during the public consultations to the authority issuing the environmental decision
6 May 2019 (in Polish)
31 May 2019 (in German)- planned 12
Submission of a consolidated EIA Report 13
Renewed public consultations including the organisation of a meeting on the German side
planned
June – August 2019 14
Submission of the translated environmental decision to the competent authority of the Exposed Party
October 2019

6. Number of organisations, which submitted comments to the EIA report34

7. Comments reported by the German side

8. Comments reported by the German side - continued

9. Essential comments defined in the course of the public consultations
Allegations of infringement of the WFD [Water Framework Directive] due to negative impacts on ichthyofauna
Allegations concerning adverse impacts on ecosystems and water-dependent species, including those protected under N2000 areas associated with changes in hydrological conditions.
Expert opinion by professor of UW, Ph.D A. Magnuszewski (University of Warsaw)
Allegations concerning the lack of variants of methods other than icebreakers with a higher draught
Expert opinion by PhD. Eng. T. Kolerski (Gdansk University of Technology)
Allegations concerning the lack of a strategic environmental impact assessment
Expert opinion by dr. M. Pchałka
Allegations concerning inadequate assessment of impact on the natural elements of the exposed country (Germany)

10. Amphibex vs. icebreakers
Amphibex units can be used for ice breaking but the process is expensive and inefficient. Amphibex units are designed for streams and small rivers of shallow depth where no other technical means to break the ice can be used. The largest river, on which this solution is successfully used for crushing the ice is the Red River in the Manitoba Province with an average flow of 244 m3/s (Flow in the Odra River at the estuary of 535 m3/s).
The rapid run of water trapped in the ice jam when removing ice jams on the Odra River may cause the increase in the flow velocity of more than 3 m/s. In this situation, the Amphibex units may be damaged or sunk due to the pressure of water and ice. This is a very dangerous situation that puts at risk the lives of dredger operators.
With their very low productivity, the use of Amphibex dredgers on the Border Odra River would require ice breaking action to begin many days before the expected ice run. According to estimated calculations, clearing the section of the Lake Dabie to Widuchowa (approx. 46 km) will require more than a week's work on a 12-hour shift. With an expensive and highly engaging ice breaking operation, it is necessary to rely on certain weather forecasts and the long-term ones are not highly verifiable.
Amphibex dredgers cannot replace linear icebreakers. The tasks to be carried out by the linear Icebreakers planned to be built are not compatible with the functions of the Amphibex Dredgers. These units are not able to move quickly on the river to monitor ice run-off, while their use for widening the run-off canal is very slow and inefficient.

11. Use of Amphibex excavators - results of analysis
Ice phenomena on the Odra River have been the subject of several expert opinions, including:
Szwalgin D., Zagożdżon J., Feasibility study; Continuation of the icebreaker construction program for RZGW Szczecin, VIP Law Firm Ltd. Olsztyn March 2017
Kolerski, T., 2017, Checking the possibilities of linear icebreakers operation in conditions of lack of bed clearing in the Middle and Border Odra (variant 0)
Banasiak R., Garncarz-Wilk B., Selection of sensitive ice jam flood risk places on the Odra River from the Malczyce barrage to the estuary of the Nysa Łużycka River along with estimation of potential flood losses in this section of the river, IMGW Wrocław, October 2015.
Kolerski, T., 2014, Protection against ice jam floods on the Lower Odra River and the Lake Dabie
Odra River Basin Flood Protection Project Coordination Office, Conceptual document for a new flood protection project, Protection against winter floods (Middle and Lower Odra), Warsaw 2013
Hydro-Eko, 2004, Summary of flood losses caused by ice jam floods, Poznań, Poland
PROEKO, 2003, Clearance of the fairway on the Lake Dabie, Investment feasibility study,

12. Use of Amphibex excavators - results of analysis
Amphibex units can be helpful in neutralisation of ice jams but are much less efficient than conventional icebreakers. In some situations, the slow but systematic operation of excavators can help icebreakers remove ice jams but absolutely cannot replace them on the Odra River - in the case of icebreaking operations on the Odra River, the key is the timing of the operation and safety of the people who operate them.
Amphibex can also carry out the work of a front icebreaker by preparing a run-off canal for the ice. In this case, the comparison with the front icebreakers is much more advantageous for the latter. The speed of icebreakers is almost 20 times higher than that of dredgers. The only justification may be the ice cover not exceeding 0.5 m in thickness but such cases do not occur on the Odra River. The use of more units does not increase the pace of work but only results in a wider trough in the ice cover or a ice jam. The use of Amphibex dredgers for crushing the ice cover can supplement the work of classic front icebreakers on the Odra River but cannot replace them.

13. Essential remarks defined by the German side
Allegations of infringement of the WFD [Water Framework Directive] due to negative impacts on ichthyofauna
Answer from dr. Paweł Prus along with a proposal for additional mitigating measures
Allegations concerning adverse impacts on ecosystems and water-dependent species, including those protected under N2000 areas associated with changes in hydrological conditions.
Expert opinion by professor of UW, Ph.D A. Magnuszewski together with answers from Maria Kilinska
Allegations concerning the lack of variants of methods other than icebreakers with a higher draught
Expert opinion by PhD. Eng. T. Kolerski
Allegations concerning the lack of a strategic environmental impact assessment
Expert opinion by dr. M. Pchałka
Allegations concerning inadequate assessment of impact on the natural elements of the exposed country (Germany)
Answer from dr. M. Pchałka

15. Thank you for your attention