Czech army cleanup of contaminated Šumava site to take weeks

The Czech army will remain at the contaminated military site in Šumava for several more weeks: according to the Ministry of the Environment, about 1,000 tons of contaminated soil and 200 barrels of hazardous chemicals have been found there. Environment Minister Červený said that a military survey of the area has already produced new data, which the ministry will disclose jointly with the Ministry of Defence.

What is happening on site

According to Červený, details of the survey results will be made public later — likely after a government press conference held together with the defence minister. For now, as Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) announced earlier, the army is working to seal off the contaminated area so the hazardous substances do not spread further into the soil. After that, the ministry will select a contractor to carry out the site's remediation and dispose of the chemicals.

Červený first reported the discovery — nearly a thousand tons of contaminated soil and some two hundred barrels of chemicals on the grounds of a former military training area — in early September. The minister initially estimated the cost of remediation at 192 million crowns, with the work expected to be completed by June 2028. However, in a press release on Wednesday, the ministry gave a different figure, saying the cleanup would cost more than 150 million crowns.

Criminal complaint and accusations against former leadership

On Wednesday, Červený also filed a police report against persons unknown. Police had already opened an investigation on suspicion of negligently creating a general danger, as well as negligent damage to and endangerment of the environment. According to the ministry, the case could also involve an offence related to a public official's negligent failure to fulfil their duties.

The minister reiterated that the ministry's previous leadership knew about the contamination back in 2023, but, he said, no one began tackling the problem at the time. “If someone had acted in 2023, by now I would at most be cutting a ribbon at the opening — the site would already have been remediated,” Červený remarked.

The previous leadership of the Ministry of the Environment has rejected this criticism. David Surý (KDU-ČSL), the ministry's former head of environmental protection, said in September that the site where the chemicals had leaked was already surveyed and remediated several years ago, after which a final report was drawn up recommending further investigation. According to the current ministry, however, no real remediation took place after that inspection — only the originally collapsed bunker was repaired.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz