Drought dries up beloved town-square stream in Velká Bystřice

In the town of Velká Bystřice in the Olomouc Region, severe drought has completely dried up the decorative water channel on the main square — a favourite spot for locals and visitors to cool off. According to the town’s mayor, on hot days both children and adults would traditionally wade and splash around here.

The sight of the dried-up channel came as a shock to many visitors to the square. A woman who had come with her dog and children from nearby Lošov said that before her holiday there was still water in the channel, but by the time she returned, not a trace of it was left. Even the family dog, which normally loved splashing about in the stream, seemed puzzled by the situation.

Fish rescued in advance

Jiří Wagner, head of the local branch of the Czech Anglers’ Union, explained that the channel in Velká Bystřice had been drained several times in recent months for technical work, and each time anglers removed the fish beforehand. As a result, the current drop in water level caused by the drought hasn’t led to any fish deaths.

River on the brink of drying up

According to the water management company Povodí Moravy, the water level in the Bystřice River near the town has already come dangerously close to the official drought threshold. Because of the sharp drop in water levels, a ban has been in place since early July on drawing water from the Bystřice and its tributaries to fill pools, wash cars, or water sports grounds, lawns and gardens. The restriction applies to the villages of Hlubočky, Velká Bystřice and Bystrovany, as well as the city of Olomouc.

Experts, however, have not yet detected any drop in oxygen levels in the Bystřice River that could pose a threat to fish.

Read also: 8 best swimming spots near Prague: lakes, quarries and beaches within an hour’s drive of the capital

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz