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The Březová Reservoir (Vodní nádrž Březová, Březová waterworks) is a dam on the Teplá river in the municipality of Březová near Karlovy Vary in the Karlovy Vary Region. The dam stands at river kilometre 8.21 of the Teplá.[1] According to its operator, the state enterprise Povodí Ohře, it is the oldest concrete dam in Bohemia.[1]*
Purpose and history
The reservoir serves above all to protect Karlovy Vary from floods.[1] On 24 November 1890 the spa town was hit by a flood during which more than 300 m³ of water per second flowed down the Teplá. The water damaged the town centre and destroyed footbridges and bridges. According to ČT24, the dam was built precisely to prevent a similar disaster.[2] It was built in 1931–1934 to a design by the Provincial Office in Prague by a consortium of Lanna Praha and Pittel & Brausewetter of Vienna and was put into operation in 1937.[1]
Technical data
The concrete dam is 228.8 m long and rises 24.95 m above the ground. A road from Karlovy Vary to Bečov, Mariánské Lázně and Plzeň runs along its crest.[1] The total storage capacity is 5.687 million m³ and the flooded area 76.80 ha.[1] Together with the Stanovice reservoir it protects Karlovy Vary against a 100-year flood; it can reduce a 100-year summer flood wave from 140 m³/s to 67 m³/s.[1] Boats with combustion engines are prohibited on the reservoir.[1]
Drought in 2026
At the end of September 2026 the water level fell, owing to a long lack of rainfall, to its lowest in about 20 years. On 27 September it stood at 421.31 m above sea level; if it falls to 421 m, Povodí Ohře must reduce the outflow.[3] A historic road bridge, normally several metres under water and according to local memory last seen when the reservoir was drained in 1983, emerged.[3]
Sources
- Povodí Ohře, státní podnik (snímek Internet Archive) — 5 July 2025
- ČT24
- ČTK / České noviny — 27 September 2026