Electricity hazards persist at popular Bratislava lake
High voltage cables running over the lake may be finally relocated.
Plans to turn Veľký Draždiak lake in Bratislava’s Petržalka into an official recreation zone may finally materialise. People can refresh themselves in the lake only at their own risk, because there is a high voltage power line running above the water surface. This disqualifies it from becoming an official recreation area.
Now, as the electricity distribution company Západoslovenská energetika (ZSE) has started replacing the very high voltage cables in Petržalka, the local council has proposed that not only the cables be replaced, but also relocated. The final decision should be made in September.
“Negotiations are halfway through,” Ján Karman, the second vice-mayor of Petržalka local council, told the TASR newswire, adding that the final decision by Petržalka has not been made.
Ongoing negotiations
Last week the local council authorised the negotiation between Petržalka’s mayor and the respective authorities, as well as the contractor of the feasibility study, on processing the further documentation stages. The borough wants to proceed with these documents, i.e. for the zoning decision and building permit, during the summer. The local council would also contribute to the relining, but the amount, as well as the cost of the relocation, is not yet known. However, the borough would welcome financial assistance from the city.
Petržalka proposes relocating the cables so that they run along the railway line from Kopčany to Čunovo. The relocation costs have not been specified.
In the past, there were plans to relocate the cables. They have not materialised due to unsolved ownership land relations and non-compliance with the zoning plan.
If the power lines are relocated, Veľký Draždiak would become an official recreation zone. If the cables are not relocated and the ZSE simply replaces the old cables with larger capacity ones, Karman says that Veľký Draždiak would “continue to be a fishing ground and the cables a factor with a certain safety risk”.
Former gravel pit
Veľký Draždiak, similarly to nearby Malý Draždiak, is a former gravel pit. Power lines were already running over the lake at that time.
After gravel extraction ceased, the site was converted into a natural summer swimming pool around 1982. The pit was deepened, the original inhabitants of Petržalka once calling it “Šutrovka”.
The lake's area is 13 hectares and in some places reaches a depth of up to 17 metres. In addition to swimming and bathing, it is also used for fishing and sports activities like water biking and kayaking.
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