Elbe weir construction faces criticism

A new weir is planned for the Elbe Valley between Děčín and Schmilka, according to the Czech government’s plans in Prague. Now the neighboring German state of Saxony has lodged further objections to the project in the Czech part of the Elbe Valley, formally setting them out in a letter.

The letter, which arrived at the Czech Ministry of the Environment in Prague from Saxony on Monday, was worded in a very polite and highly diplomatic manner. Even so, its message is likely to have put Prague in a bad mood. The Saxon state government’s letter makes clear that the neighboring German state continues to have serious concerns about the planned construction of a new weir in the Czech part of the Elbe Valley, between Schmilka and Děčín. The letter’s introduction says that building a new weir in the Elbe Valley could have negative environmental consequences for the Elbe regions in Germany. These effects could range from erosion of the riverbed and declining water quality in the Elbe to the destruction of biological corridors and habitats for wildlife living in and around the river.

Prague’s initial response to the letter from Saxony: the Czech government intends to examine its neighbor’s objections closely. And Saxony’s state government will be watching carefully, because construction of a new weir in the Czech part of the Elbe Valley could cause the negative impacts mentioned above farther downstream, on Saxon territory. Saxony’s Environment Minister Frank Kupfer (CDU) wants the Czech project halted immediately. At the very least, major changes to the plans for the weir in the Czech Republic would be necessary, Kupfer said.

Salmon, eel and bitterling—is the habitat of these fish species native to the Elbe in serious danger in the foreseeable future because of the new weir? Studies from Saxony also see the populations of beavers and otters along the Elbe as being seriously threatened if the new weir is built in the Czech part of the Elbe Valley.