After "Environmental Disaster" Warnings in Šumava, Local Mayors Still Don't Know Where the Danger Actually Is

Ten days after the Czech Ministry of the Environment announced the discovery of a thousand tons of contaminated soil and 200 barrels of chemicals in Šumava National Park, mayors of the nearest towns say they still haven't been given either the exact location of the find or a concrete action plan.

Environment Minister Petr Hladík — no wait, correction: Minister Igor Červený (Motorists for Themselves party) said last week that the government was "urgently addressing a threat to the public and a disaster that could damage the environment." The ministry warned that the discovered substances are carcinogenic and could harm the reproductive, hormonal and immune systems, as well as contaminate groundwater. The announced large-scale cleanup of the site is expected to run until 2028.

Mayors complain of ministry silence

For safety reasons, the minister did not disclose the exact location of the find — but he also failed to inform the mayors of nearby villages, even though their residents could be the ones facing the potential danger. "Given how frightened people were by the initial reports and the press conference, I'd like to be getting more information for the affected municipalities. So far, that hasn't happened," said Josef Rada, mayor of the village of Prášily.

Pavel Valdman, mayor of Hartmanice, called the situation "informational noise" and "a rather chaotic and alarming announcement from the ministry." Josef Bejvl, mayor of the town of Chachrov, admitted he knows only what he's read in the media. All three say they're getting most of their information about the toxic waste situation from the news rather than from the authorities themselves.

Rada said he learned of the discovery just two hours before the press conference, and there has been no contact from the ministry since. Valdman met with representatives of the ministry, police and the national park, but says he still didn't get any specifics — residents with questions about water safety were simply referred directly to the ministry. A ministry representative reportedly promised to hold an informational meeting earlier this week, but it never took place.

Ministry insists: communication did happen

Ministry spokeswoman Jana Šillerová rejected accusations of insufficient communication with the mayors, saying they have received all the information they requested. According to her, Deputy Minister Pavel Vlček personally contacted all mayors of the affected municipalities, as well as the governor of the Plzeň Region and representatives of neighboring countries, and all of them "appreciated the proactive approach and timely updates."

Nevertheless, according to the Plzeň Region press office, regional authorities themselves have not yet received the final report on the 2023 site survey or the results of the current investigation — the request was only sent to the ministry this week.

Tourists worried about trail safety

Mayors are also unhappy that authorities still haven't named the exact location of the hazardous site — the minister explained this by saying he feared curious onlookers would flock there. Valdman believes that if the location had been made public right away, there would have been less commotion. Mayor Rada went to check the fencing at the site himself, since he knew roughly where it was from past cleanup work in the area. Meanwhile, most of the safety questions he receives come from tourists asking whether the route to Prášilské Lake and Poledník mountain is safe — even though those spots are located roughly 15 kilometers from the contaminated site.

The hazardous waste was discovered on the site of the former Dobrá Voda military training ground, in an area once used as a chemical testing range. Minister Červený initially planned to award the cleanup contract — worth nearly 200 million crowns — to the company Deconta without a public tender, but the government rejected the idea. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) later announced that the army would carry out the work on site; on Wednesday, 20 soldiers along with special equipment were deployed there.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz