Želivka Water Tunnel () is a water tunnel in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. At 51.97 kilometres long, it is the sixth longest water tunnel in the world. It was finished in 1972.

History

In 1965, the first phase of construction of a

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

line from the

Želivka The Želivka (on the upper course called Hejlovka) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Sázava (river), Sázava River. It flows through the Vysočina Region, Vysočina and South Bohemian Region, South Bohemian regions. It is ...

began far away from

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Soon, a 51 kilometres long tunnel was being cut to bring clean water from the treatment plant in Nesměřice to

Jesenice Jesenice (, ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is the tenth-largest town in Slovenia, located in the traditional province of Upper C ...

. Meanwhile, there already were two lines leading from the

water tank A water tank is a container for Water storage, storing water, for many applications, drinking water, irrigation, fire suppression, farming, both for plants and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many other uses. Water ...

in Jesenice, one going north-west to Prague-

Libuš Libuš () is one of the municipal districts of Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava Riv ...

, Novodvorská street and further, the second going to Prague- Chodov,

Hostivař Hostivař () is a cadastral area in southern Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava Ri ...

and further. On 2 April 1967,

dredger Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing dam ...

s and

bulldozer A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large tractor equipped with a metal #Blade, blade at the front for pushing material (soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock) during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, ...

s started digging trenches for three parallel lines in Chodov. The water was supposed to be moving via gravity feed, which is why everything that was in the way of the best route had to go.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zelivka Water Tunnel Tunnels in the Czech Republic Water tunnels