On July 14, 2022 in Okartowo on Lake Tyrkło - in the presence of Marek Gróbarczyk, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, and Przemysław Dacy, President of Wód Polski - Jarosław Krzyżanowski, CEO of Antea Polska S.A. signed an agreement for the execution of a study entitled: "Preliminary Feasibility Study for the task entitled: "The Mazurian Loop - construction of a waterway connecting Lake Niegocin with Lake Śniardwy."

The Masurian Waterway Loop consists of 2 sections - the eastern and western parts. The scope of the analysis will cover the eastern part of the planned waterway with a length of about 30 km connecting Lake Niegocin with Lake Śniardwy via lakes Wojnowo, Buwełno and Tyrkło. At present, there is no direct connection between Lake Buvellno and Lake Tyrklo. They are separated from each other by a land of 1.6 kilometers in a straight line with an elevation of about 36 meters. For the continuity of the shipping lane it is necessary to use technical solutions to overcome this obstacle. Four options for connecting the two lakes will be analyzed.

Goals of the project

The main goal of the project is to create the sailing trail in the form of a loop, which will allow sailing to Lake Sniardwy from the port of Giżycko on Lake Niegocin and return via a waterway through Lake Śniardwy to Lake Niegocin.

Other goals:

  • Expansion of the Mazurian Lakes waterway network to include a new navigable route with a several-day cruise, leading through the main Mazurian Lakes, allowing return from the cruise to the port of departure. 
  • Creation of a retention area for large amounts of excess water from the period of snowmelt spring and after heavy precipitation - in interconnected lakes, forming a complex of reservoirs with a large retention volume. 
  • Ensemble of interconnected lakes (retention reservoirs) increases the security of maintaining the desired water depths in the waterway during the navigation period.
  • Complex of reservoirs reduces the risk of flooding and increases the possibility of conducting proper water management in terms of preventing the effects of drought.
  • Waterway will significantly affect the development of water tourism and the attractiveness of sailing on the Masurian lake routes.

General scope of the task

The pre-feasibility study will include technical solutions with construction parameters, range of impacts and safeguards against adverse impacts, including:

  • Project information sheet for determining the scope of the environmental report
  • EIA report
  • Scope of design works

Feasibility study will consist of the following parts

  1. Analysis of conditions limiting the class of the Masurian Loop waterway
  2. Development of the muti-variant concept of the route of the waterway along with an indication of the location of the tourist infrastructure
  3. Analysis of environmental conditions of each of the proposed variants, together with an indication of the recommended variant
  4. Analysis of legal and social conditions of each of the proposed variants
  5. Multi-criteria analysis of the waterway alternatives
  6. Cost and revenue analysis of each variant with indication of possible sources of financing of the project
  7. Development of the Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled for the recommended variant
  8. Development of recommendations for subsequent stages of investment
  9. Visualization of the recommended variant

Summary

A feasibility study for the construction of the Mazurian Loop is expected by the end of this year. Its creation will contribute to the development of water tourism and related infrastructure, as well as increase the popularity of sailing and the entire region based mainly on tourism.

The next step will be to begin drafting project documentation and obtaining the necessary administrative decisions. The expected completion of the project is 2029, and the preliminary cost of the investment is estimated at around PLN 400 million.