August 23, 2002 -- The Czech Environment Ministry said recent flooding has caused at least (CZK) 500 million in damages to its water treatment plants, many of which were newly upgraded to meet EU water standards.
Some plants are still under water, and other damage will not be fully known until the winter freezes pipes, Interfax reported. Water plants that treat water for more than 10,000 customers were damaged in Prague, Ceske Budejovice, Melnik, Znojmo, Tabor, Litomerice, Decin and others. A preliminary total of 60 water plants have been hurt by the flooding that has ruined much of the area.
The damage appears to be mostly in the equipment and wiring rather than the structures. Workers will have to clear the plants of mud and gradually bring them back on-line. Prague's main treatment plant, which sustained CZK 250 million worth of damage, may not be fully back in service for six weeks.
The country was in the process of bringing all the plants into compliance with European Union environmental regulations, and it is not known how this event will affect the planned goal to finish this task by 2010.
Czech environmental officials will soon be releasing another report on the damages to the nation's wastewater treatment plants and systems.
