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The Polish study area proposed for “CHANGES” research project is situated in southern Poland in Flysch Carpathians. More specifically it covers parts of two mountain groups Beskid Żywiecki and Beskid Mały as well as a part of Carpathian foothills in the north.
The area has been named after two rivers: Wieprzówka (northern part) and Stryszawka (southern part)
Administratively three municipalities cover almost the whole area i.e.: Stryszawa, Andrychów and Wieprz municipalities. Total number of inhabitants is 66 708.
The Polish study area has been selected on different basis than three other study areas in Romania, Italy and France. Namely it was proposed due to the occurrence of floods and landslides, which causes in pair with a relatively high population density significant development problems. There is no research station in the area. Therefore less data is available than in other study areas. However it reflects development planning problems of landslide- and flood-endangered areas. Authors hope that visits to a few places described below will provide participants with instructive illustrations of these issues.
Landsliding in Poland occurs mainly in the southern portion of the country in the area of the Polish Flysch Carpathian Mountains. More than 90 percent of all landslides occur within this area, which represents only 6 percent of the Polish territory. The area is part of the larger Carpathian thrust and fold range that stretches in an arc from Central to Eastern Europe. The Carpathian mountains were formed during the Alpine orogeny in the Mesozoic and Tertiary.
The subdivisions along the arcuate mountain range of the Outer and Inner Carpathians are attributed mainly to structural, tectonic and lithologic differences resulting from geologic development. The external, generally northern, portion of the orogenic belt is know as a Flysch belt.
The dam at Świnna Poręba is situated 26 km upstream from the estuary of Skawa River and it encompasses 802 km2 of its catchment area. The water reservoir is going to extend on territories of three municipalities Mucharz, Stryszów and Zembrzyce In Małopolska region. Initially it was designed as a drinking water reservoir for Upper Silesia agglomeration and it was intended to work within Little Vistula system together with reservoirs on Little Vistula and Soła rivers. As a result of political and economic transformation the demand for water in Upper Silesia decreased and the function of the reservoir has been shifted to flood protection for valleys of Skawa and Vistula, including the city of Krakow. Świnna Poręba is one of the most important ongoing hydro-technical developments in Poland. Due to the progress in the construction achieved so far, one can expect that in spite of the crisis the construction will be completed in the upcoming years and the reservoir will be put to work. The importance of the reservoir is related not only to its flood-protective function but also to the use of water by industry, to the energy production as well as to the recreational use of the artificial lake. |