A reader called us and informed us about a situation concerning firefighters’ access to water in Gromadka municipality:
Beyond Wierzbowa there are two deep wells dug in the 1980s, or perhaps earlier. They were used for major fires, when there was not enough water—and in recent years there really has been a shortage. There is a sea of water there—in these wells. After the fire in the industrial zone in Osła, Gromadka Municipality came up with the idea that each village should designate a place where a water-filling point could either be created or somehow improved. Precisely for such emergency situations.
According to our informant, firefighters from Wierzbowa wanted to use precisely these wells. The local government even wanted to reinforce the road so that the site would be easier to reach. However, permission from Chocianów Forest District was necessary.
As our interlocutor emphasizes: “The forest district manager was initially very interested in the idea.” But when he arrived at the site, he was reportedly to have stated that “this already falls under the responsibility of Polish Waters.” He also reportedly said that an expensive intake with a water meter would have to be installed. The result? “A team from the forest district arrived” and the wells were welded shut.
Paweł Pawłowski, deputy manager of Chocianów Forest District, explains:
First of all, I would like to confirm the existence of two deep wells located on the edge of the village, on land owned by the State Forests. According to the information obtained, these wells were built in the 1970s, before the Water Law came into force, by Red Army troops stationed in the area at the time. For this reason, Chocianów Forest District has no technical documentation for the boreholes or information about the water quality and the yield of the potential deposit, or even whether, given the decline in groundwater levels in recent years, the boreholes still allow water to be extracted. Therefore, out of an abundance of epidemiological caution and concern for the general safety of nearby residents, Chocianów Forest District secured the openings against unauthorized water extraction.
He adds:
As for using these intakes as water-drawing points for firefighting purposes, Chocianów Forest District would like to point out that each time the Forest Management Plan is reviewed—which takes place once every 10 years—the District Commander of the State Fire Service gives an opinion on the appropriate location of water-drawing points, which is then approved by the Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service in Wrocław. The last such action for the forests of Chocianów Forest District, including the forests surrounding Wierzbowa, took place on 22 March 2024 and concluded with no comments from the aforementioned institutions. This gives the Forest District certainty that the water protection of the forest areas is complete and does not require supplementation with new facilities of this type.
And adds:
However, if the local Municipal Office, as the institution responsible for water supply, expresses an interest in using these deep wells, Chocianów Forest District remains ready to cooperate, despite the fact that fire protection already exists on the site in the form of a hydrant network and a fire reservoir in the central part of the village (to date, 7 May—editor’s note: istotne.pl—no relevant correspondence has been initiated in this regard). To restart the boreholes, the interested institution should complete all formalities required under the Water Law, namely commission appropriate deposit tests and obtain a water-law permit for its use.