Securing the Orlík dam against the impacts of extreme floods

The Czech Republic has been affected by several extreme floods in recent decades. The Orlík dam, on the Vltava river, 91 km upstream from Prague, is the largest dam by reservoir volume, not only in the Vltava cascade, but also in the Czech Republic. The floods that occurred at the dam in August and September 2002 exceeded the design’s expectations for flooding, and led to the preparation of a refurbishment project aimed at improving dam safety. It is based on the construction of a supplementary high-capacity spillway and chute, which, along with the existing spillways and outlets, will be safer during extreme floods.