Water reservoirs in the place of post-mining excavations

Abstract

The water direction of reclamation usually creates new opportunities for the expansion of nature, especially in areas with a poor river network, devoid of large natural water reservoirs. A new body of water can become a significant enrichment of the natural environment, improving landscape values or increasing biodiversity. Along with the construction of a reservoir, the local level of retention increases, soil moisture increases, and the microclimate of adjacent areas changes favorably. By reconciling natural and recreational requirements, multifunctional water reservoirs are created, increasing and sometimes initiating tourist traffic and economic revival of the area. This direction of work is currently becoming the most desirable by both local government units and social requirements after the dominant directions of forest and agricultural reclamation in previous years, recreating conditions preceding exploitation. The paper presents the effects of completed and planned works related to the reclamation of post-mining excavations in the water direction, using the example of open pits belonging to the former Brown Coal Mine "Adamów". Currently, the total area of the most important existing and planned post-mining reservoirs is estimated at 3710 ha. The most important element of the reservoirs is the water resources accumulated in them. In the finished reservoirs, they amount to slightly over 106 million m3 and over 390 million m3 in the reservoirs currently in the final phase of filling. After the completion of the reclamation of mining areas in the water direction, over 900 million m3 of water will be accumulated in all the former lignite open pits in eastern Wielkopolska. This will happen at the end of the third decade of the current century, only about 40 years after the creation of the first reservoir. This indicates positive and extensive hydrological changes that will fundamentally change the shape of the water network in the eastern part of Wielkopolska, which is also important for the restoration of biodiversity.