Wodne budowle piętrzące. Nadzór nad stanem technicznym i stanem bezpieczeństwa

In Poland, there are over 3,500 permanent hydraulic structures, including 327 dams, 2,284 weirs, 130 navigation locks, and 383 hydroelectric power stations. Some 30 percent of those structures have been operating for more than 50 years. Such a long exploitation period results in an increased number of damages and an increased probability of failure. The audit was conducted on NIK’s own initiative, in relation to the findings of the previous audit which established, among others, that not all mandatory checks of hydraulic structures were made with regard to their technical condition and usefulness. The decision to have such an audit was justified also with press reports on the unsatisfactory technical state of the hydraulic structures in Poland and a risk of failure of some of them, on the lack of a consistent system for technical check of dams, on the lack of coordination between the institutions that examine the technical state of dams and assess the safety of these structures. The audit covered the years 2013-2014.