POLISH HYDROLOGISTS/PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INLAND WATERWAYS/DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000300430002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: September 28, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INF
Poland
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
Security Information
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
Polish Hydrologists/Plans for Development of
Inland Waterways/Danube-Black Sea Canal.
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INPORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL OEFENIE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MOANING OF TITLE IS, SECTION. 703
AND 7e4p OF THE U.S. CODS, Al AMINDIC. ITS TRANSMISSION ON NEVI.
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT SY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED AY LAW, THC REPRODUCTION OF TMIS FOIE IS PROHISITEG,
1.
2.
Fotbeilt
DATE DISTR. g Sep 1953
NO. OF PAGES 5.
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
? r.
Some of the plans
e a on a e ?ac o pre-war World War 'II) times and some
LAST PAG: FOR -Stia4CT & AriZi";. CODES
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CONFIDENTIAL - Security Information -
have been been alternately approved, disapproved and
tnen upprvveu.uguia uy Lae incumbent regime. It would appear that the :
Polish engineers plan with good faith but that the ultimate decision to go
ahead with a project is frequently made in Moscow rather than Warsaw.
ihh NAVIGABLE WATERWAY ALONG THE VISTULA
3. The transiormation of the river Vistula into a modern navigable waterway accessi-
ble at its ordinary water level by craft of 1000-1200 tons can be accomplished
most easily by;
(a) Canalization of a larger area of the middle and upper sectors and
(b) Extension of the usual river training and regulation works in the lower
sector. The length of the sectors and the work required are as follows:
(1) Completion of construction of the navigable canal Vistula-Oder. Accord-
ing to a plan worked out in the 19201s and still being considered, the
canal would leave the Vistula nearKrakow, follow the valley of the
Vistula westward toward the town of Gliwice where it would join the
existing Upper Silesian Canal (formerly Adolph Hitler Canal). It would
then cross the watershed at an altitude of 259 meters. Craft would
Surmount the total head of 108 meters by means of 15 locks. The
length of this stretch would be one-hundred kilometers. In addition,
canalization works would be required along the River Przemsza over a
distance of 10 kilometers ( in two steps) in order to extend the Vis-
tula-Oder Canal to Myslowice in Upper Silesia.
(2) Canalization works (approved and under consideration as late as 1950)
on the River Vistula from Krakow to the town of Torun. This work
anticipates the construction of 39 or 41 movable weirs of law-height
type, locks and hydroelectric Stations. The length of this sector
would be 657 kilometers. This pro ject would provide the opportunity
to construct 39 hydroelectric statiolis with.a;toktal head of 177 meters,
It would be possible to have installations capable of developing 807,000
KW with a yearly output capacity of about five billion KWH.
(3),'iinally, complementary regulation and river training works on the lower
Vistula River from Torun to the Baltic Sea .(e. distance of 203 kilo-
meters).
THE NAVIGABLE 411WAY THROUGH THE TRAMEUROPEAN GREAT INLAND NAVIGABLE WATERWAY,
WEST TO.EAST.
This project would create a middle link suited for navigation of 600 to 1000
ton barges. It would join up the existing sectors of the waterway, namely, the
western, trom.the Rhine to the Polish frOntier, and the eastern, from the Polish
frontier to the Black Sea,'(Ptypec and Dnieper). The total length of this great
route would be 3,597 kilometers. The midLle link within Polish territory would
require the following developments:
(a) Improvement of the existing waterway along the canalized River Notec and
the Bydgoscez Canal (183 kilometers). Since this way is already in exist-
ence, improvement by dredging to accommodate the barges at low-water level
is all that would be required. This stretch now has 22 sluiceways for
navigation and rafting.
(b) Regulation and canalization works on the River Vistula from the estuary of
the River Brda to Warsaw (this sector, 259 kilometers long, was included
above under paragraph 3.)
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(c) Construction of an artificial navigable canal from the Vistula to the Bug
River for craft up to 1000 ton taking into -tccount the fact that the canal
from the Bug River below Malkinia t,o Warsaw would only. be 84 kilometers long
as against 170 kilometers if the works followed the Bug and the Vistula. This
canal would create a head of 17 meters which would be surmounted by two
locks. The canal could be exploited for its hydroelectric possibilities,
having a potential of 30,000 KW with a capacity of energy output close to
180 million KWH per annum.
(d) Canalization of the River Bug over a stretch of 188 kilometers from Mal-
kinia to Brzesc, and construction of 11 movable weirs and locks with falls c?
from three to four meters. This project would include the construction of
11 hydroelectric stations with a total capacity of 48,000 KW and a yearly out-
put of 272 million KWH.
(e) Adjustment of the Royal (Krolewski) Canal, now on the USSR side (since 1945)
for the navigation of 600 ton 1;arges along the 214 kilometers between Brzesc
and Pinsk* This waterway already exists and joins the Bug and the Prypec
Rivers. It would need only a rebuilding of the canal to make it suitable fa
modern requirements.
(f) Completion of the regulation works of the River prypec from Pinsk to the
Dnieper River..
5. Both of the above waterways, planned for a yearly transport capacity of 20 million
tons, have, been under consideration by Polish authorities in very recent times.
Priority was finally given, however, to the West-East project and work actually
started in 1952. Since most Polish engineers in exile had concluded from infor-
mation leaked out of Polandthatthe emphasis was definitely in favor of the East-
West waterway, the sudden switch in plans strongly implies that pressure from
Moscow to orient the waterways toward the USSR may have been responsible for the
last-minute decision.
6. Among other ,water developments covering international communication problems in
east-Central Europe, thq;linkAoining,the Baltic basin with the Black Sea through
the Oder-Danube canal appears to be attractive to the Polish government and is
included in its second stage plan. Its route along the projected canal of the
Rivers Oder and Morawa crosses the low pass of the. Morawa gate in the Carpathian
Mountains. According to preliminary plans the length of this canal will be 301
kilometers. It will be made fit for water transport by the construction of weirs
and locks (partly river canalization and partly artificial waterways). Craft of
1200 tons would be .able to surmount the head of 225 meters by means of 29 locks..
7. There were other projects under discussion, such as the Oder (from Opole-) Kalisz-
Bydgozcz?canalvwhich would form. the shortest way from Silesia to the Baltic sea,
but this project was dropped in 1952-
8.
MEMBERS OF THE POLISH COMITIES FOR WATER ECONOMY.
Professorlfitold Wierzbicki?Chairman.
JuluS:Zakowski-i-Vice Chairman
Doctor Eugeniusz Olszewski--Councillor
Michal Krajewski--Vice Chairman
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.Podsek'a Budowmctwa Wodne o Water Econo Sub-Committee
Professor Edward CZetWertYnSki,-Chairman,
Professor Romuald Cebeictowicz-!-Vice Chairman
Professor Watley Balcerski--Councillor:
Professor Stanislaw Huckel--Member
Doctor Julian Ladbor, ft
Roman Maxymaiczyk-- 9e
Kazimieri Matul--
Adolf Riedel--
Ignacy.Sobiepan-- te
Mieczyslaw Sowinski--
Tadeugz TiIlinger--
Professor Witold TUbielewitz--"
Professor Czeslaw Zakaszewski-7
Professor Zbigniew,Zmigrodski.,"
Podsekca Geofizyki (Geophysical Sub-Cordmittee)
.Professor Edward Stenz -- Chairman
Doctor Julian. tadbot-- Vice Chairman
Doctor Tadeusz Olczak-- Councillor
Doctor Irene. Bobr-Modrakowa--Mether
Professor Kazimierz Debski-- "
Professor Edward Janczewskir!-"
Jan Jasnorzewski-
Zofia Kalinowska--
Doctor Teodor Koptewitz-,-
DoCtor. Josef MatuseVicz--
Doctor Stanidlawlawlowski--..
Anamiasz_Rojecki--
Doctor Stanislaw Zych--
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HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES.OF POLAND.,'
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Thellydrological Services of Poland are centralized in two institutions,
the Hydrometeorologital Institute and the Water Economy Department. The
aim
of the first is to survey and collect all basic data (in much the-same Wan-
. ner is the US Geological Survey and US Wcmther Bureau). Its findings
ksuch as precipitation and strear gauging)are published in yearbooks The
aim of the second is to work out and sui-xvise the projects scheduled for
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,construction. : Both offices were established under the Ministry of .Trans-
port,
10.
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The First Chairmanof the Hydrometeorologital Institute was Doctor Josef
Matusewicz. He was followed by Professor Kazimiers Debaki. Then came Mr
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Bartnicki ffng. 'These ex-chair-
man are still with:me institute* Others are W Jarocki J GuMinaki, Pro-
fessor E Stetz,..Jan Wokroj and K
50X1 OFFICE OF WATER MANAGEMENT
Ile
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A. The Director of the office is Zdzislaw Kornackie Vice Director is Adolf
Riedel. Other individuals in the Central Office are:
Tadeusz Tillinger
ZbigniewZmigrodeki
Marian Chudzynski
Jacek Domanski
Kazimierz PUczynski
W..Dunin
Grabinski
J. Komacki
Adam Bielanski represents the office in Krakow, Z. Tyska in Warsaw, J Kajzar
in Wroclaw and Breslau and So lembor in Poznan.
DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL, OR THE DANUBE-CONSTANTA CANAL:
The lower course of the Danube changes its general direction from west to
east at Silistra,and runs northwards to the ports of Braila and Galati,
on a line parallel to the coast of the Black Sea. Further downstream it
again flows to the east as .a maritime reach. The point at which the Danube
approaches the shore of the Black Sea, most closely is at Cerna Voda? from
'which it is only a distance of about 45 kilometers to the port of Constanta
in a direct line. The watershed between Cerna Voda and Constanta constitutes
a plateau at an altitude of 55-65 meters above sea level. It would not be
difficult to constrictan artificial canal which would run in this flat
terrain, thus forming.a,short out to vao Black Sea. The length of this canal
would be about 55 kilometers. and it would be necessary to build only two
locks to surmount the hood, one at Constants, and one on the high banks of
the Danube. For this purpose, it was proposed in 2947 to adopt the type
.of lift:locko'(boat elevators) 'which have been used with success on the Can-
tralAnd:Hohenzalern Canals in Germany where the head amounts to 36 meters.
With such ..a oan04, the traffic. coming from or going to the Middle East would
be diverted from the present long roundabout route by river, delta and sea,
and shortened to about one-tenth of the nreaentlAngth of the route.
,
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