Risk assessment, Svatá Anna – interesting findings

As a result of surveys made on the premises and in the vicinity of the Velamos a.s. Skuteč company in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2010, corrective measures have been imposed on the company to remedy the situation – remove contamination of soil and building rubble and clean ground waters contaminated with oil substances, volatile chlorohydrocarbons, cyanides and heavy metals (chromium, nickel, cadmium and copper).  

As a follow-up of the above surveys, another survey started in 2011 within the Operation Programme of the Environment in the framework of Risk Assessment of the Svatá Anna water withdrawal area, near Skuteč. This project involves monitoring  ground waters in 47 existing water resources and 13 newly created boreholes, as well as monitoring surface waters in the Anenský brook, its left bank tributaries (Špitálský stream, Konopáčský stream, Skutíčský stream) and monitoring of stream sediments. The survey covers an area spreading from Skuteč to Skutíčko and all the way to the brook’s spring area close to the villages of Přibylov and Štěpánov.

Up to date findings show contamination with volatile chlorohydrocarbons in all the above named streams and heavy metals have also been detected in sediments of the above streams.

The source of contamination is the Velamos company and a dump of neutralization sludge in a former quarry in the forest of Horka.

Due to the fact that the whole surveyed area forms an infiltration front of the water withdrawal area for the Skuteč water supply system and rainwater and/or surface water infiltrates into ground waters, the findings indicate a permanent risk for the water resources of the Svatá Anna spring area.

It is essential to start with remediation work.