Flood protection systems in Poland

Modernizing Flood Protection in Poland

The flood of the century in Poland along the Vistula and Odra river in 1997, and the following flood in 2001 clearly showed that the state of Polish flood protection systems required urgent modernization to fit present needs. 

An extensive analysis of the situation pointed out the weakest links. Steel sheet piling is a technology that can be utilised to achieve the objectives of modernization and improvements of dykes and flood walls. This case study focuses on the modernization and reconstruction of the Wroclaw Floodway System, currently the largest European flood protection project under construction, and the Radunia Channel in Gdansk. Further recent flood protection references rehabilitated with steel sheet piles are briefly described at the end: Lipki-Oława, Sartowice and Płonie Channel.

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en English AMCRPS_flood-protection_Poland.pdf Po Polish AMCRPS_flood-protection_Poland_PL.pdf
Fig 4 Wroclaw Weir Nr.1
Extension of the flood protection system height
Floodway System in Wroclaw
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Steel sheet piles have been utilised for more than 100 years, proving that it is a reliable and cost-effective solution. Typical application fields are harbour construction and temporary cofferdams.

However, steel sheet piles have also been widely used in river control structures and flood defence. They have traditionally been used for the reinforcing and protection of river banks, lock and sluice construction, and flood protection. 

Ease of use, speed of execution, long service life and the ability to be driven in the water make sheet piles the obvious choice for permanent and temporary structures. The design of the shape of the profiles provides the maximum strength and durability at the lowest possible weight, and takes into account driveability. Depending on type of structure, applicable surcharge loads, soil and water conditions, standard hot rolled Z-type or U-type sections, as well as combined walls executed with box piles or the HZ/AZ system can be installed. 

Sheet pile walls can be used in a variety of ways for flood-defence systems or for bank protection. For new embankments they can ensure watertightness, support, and stabilization. They are also used to strengthen existing embankments. When space is an issue, e.g. in ports or urban areas, sheet pile walls can form freestanding or anchored floodwalls.

In flood protection embankments, sheet pile walls can serve as a cutoff. The required watertightness of sheet pile cutoffs is often obtained through natural deposition of soil in the interlocks. If necessary, seepage through a sheet pile cutoff can be reduced by introducing highly effective sealing systems into the interlocks. A sheet pile cutoff not only reduces leakage, but also improves the overall stability of an embankment: sheet piles intersecting slip circles stabilise both the inner shoulder and the crest; the outer shoulder is stabilised by the lowering of the seepage line.

The Wroclaw Floodway System in Poland is one of the largest European flood protection projects currently under work. Steel sheet piles from ArcelorMittal manufactured in Luxembourg and Poland are playing a crucial role in the rehabilitation of the flood protection.

The civil works started in 2012 and will last until 2015. ArcelorMittal has supplied more than 14 000 tonnes of steel sheet piles to four different Polish general contractors. The project is funded by the Polish Government, the World Bank and the European Union Cohesion Fund.