In 2010 the industrial zone in the area of the former František mine in Horní Suchá near Havířov was declared the winner of the “Brownfield of the Year” competition organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and CzechInvest.
The last coal wagon rolled out of the mine in the middle of 1999. The carea was subsequently revitalised and infrastructure was built. The construction was financed from the public purse and EU funds, and was completed in 2009.
A paradise for anglers and water sports fans
As a result of the land reclamation, the area surrounding the František zone has changed significantly. The plans drawn up by OKD, the project’s investor, for making use of the former tailing ponds and spoil heaps are extensive indeed. The vicinity of the lake, with its crystal clear water, has become a favourite destination of anglers, swimmers and campers. The project was launched in July 2009 and the expected deadline for its completion is early 2014. Total costs for the reclamation are CZK 373 million, which was released from public funds within the Revitalisation of the Moravian-Silesian Region programme, specifically Project No. 45 – Preparation of the area within the rectification of environmental damage following the termination of mining activities.
Great plans for the future
Following the launch of underground mining in 1911, millions of tonnes of black coal were extracted from the František colliery. This provided work for thousands of people and significantly changed the face of the landscape, as well as the lives of inhabitants of the neighbouring municipalities.
The area in the land registry of the village of Horní Suchá and the Havířov city district of Prostřední Suchá was afflicted by ground subsidence. There are former tailing ponds, a spoil heap and sites for temporary storage of slurry and rock extracted in the vicinity. For the purposes of revitalisation, the area has been divided into six sections. The reclamation of each will have its own specifics and objectives.
The bulk of the technical reclamation has been finished and will be definitively completed this year. Biological reclamation will continue. As in the case of all reclamation projects, the manner of the project’s implementation and its objectives have been discussed with representatives of the local authorities and are in compliance with the land-use documentation of the city of Havířov and the municipality of Horní Suchá.
The three former ponds for storage of coal slurry have been filled with waste rock, covered with earth, levelled with the surrounding ground and grassed over. The reforested spoil heap has been preserved in the current form to the highest possible degree, with only part of it being modified so as to better blend into the adjacent landscape. The heart of the newly created area is the Nebesák lake, which has already become a popular destination for fishing, summer water sports and other recreational activities. Within the reclamation project, the lake’s shores have been treated and reinforced with quarry stone. Moreover, they will be covered with earth, grassed over and planted with trees.
Also included in the reclamation projects is the former Castaldonovka pond, which used to serve for storage of waste rock and power plant fly ash. With regard to the fact that protected plant species have bloomed in the location, this area has been removed from the reclamation project.
Plans for the future
For 2011, NWR has planned reclamation works with a budget of approximately CZK 290 million, with the projects being partly financed from the company’s own sources and partly from public funds. By the end of 2010 reclamation works had been completed on 1,567 hectares of the areas affected by mining activities, 858 hectares were being implemented and projects to cover 109 hectares were scheduled to be launched.
In 2010, some 55 large-scale reclamation projects were taking place in the Ostrava-Karviná coal field, with costs amounting to CZK 265 million, of which CZK 148 million was invested from the company’s own sources and CZK 117 million from public funds. The ongoing significant transformation of the landscape in the Ostrava and Karviná regions in recent years due to reclamation of areas affected by coal mining is documented in a new publication titled “Returning Life to the Landscape”, mapping the land reclamation projects implemented in the region, which can be downloaded here www.newworldresources.eu.