Pre-Feasibility Study to connect Buwełno and Tyrkło lakes in Poland.

Poland's north is home to the Great Masurian Lakes Trail –the most popular and beautiful sailing route in the northeast of the country. It is an extensive series of lakes, with all types of water tourism activities, including sailing. However, due to the lack of connection between two lakes– Buwełno and Tyrkło– it is not possible to sail around the Great Masurian Lakes, that is to say starting and finishing in the same place.

Buwełno and Tyrkło Lakes are separated from each other by a 1.6-km long landfall (in a straight line) with an elevation of about 36 meters. Technical solutions to overcome this obstacle are necessary to ensure the continuity of the navigation route. Connecting these two lakes will create a sailing route that will be unique in Europe. The construction of the Masuria Loop will be important for the region’s economy and development. Its construction will contribute to the development of water tourism and associated infrastructure, and will increase the attractiveness of sailing and of this tourism-dependent region as a whole.

A common solution for all options will be:

• Designation of a waterway connecting the port of Giżycko with the entrance to the Niałk Mały and Niałk Duży lakes,
• Changing the existing natural connection of Niałk Duży and Niałk Mały lakes into an artificial navigable channel,
• Designation of a waterway within Lake Wojnowo connecting the exit from the designed channel Niałk with the entrance to the designed channel Głaźna Struga,
• Construction of an artificial navigable channel Miłki on the existing Głaźna Struga. The technical infrastructure for operating the waterway will be reinforced concrete lock,
• Designation of a waterway within Lake Buwełno connecting the exit of the designed Miłki channel with the entrance to the designed Cierzpięta - Okartowo channel,
• Designation of a waterway within Lake Tyrkło connecting the exit from the designed channel Cierzpięty - Okartowo with the entrance to Lake Śniardwy,
• Delineation of a waterway within Lake Śniardwy.

Various options for the construction of the Masurian Loop were presented during public consultations organized by Antea Group Poland. During these meetings, stakeholders had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the planned activities and express their comments and suggestions on the final shape of the selected solutions.The multi-criteria analysis indicated Option II (construction of a cable and track railway) as the best variant.

The multi-criteria analysis indicated Option II (construction of a cable and track railway) as the best variant. 

The selected option, in comparison to the other solutions considered:

• is the most favorable from a technical point of view;
• is the most economically efficient;
• has relatively the least impact on the environment;
• was the most frequently indicated as the preferred option by the public (followed by option I);
• has unusual technical solutions proposed, which may increase the attractiveness of this option for users;
• is favorable as it avoids collision with the expressway planned for construction.

Besides creating a new navigation route and developing the region, the planned project will also:

• Improve retention (it will create a retention area for large amounts of excess water from the spring melt period and after heavy rainfall),
• Maintain the expected water depth in the waterway during the navigation period,
• Reduce flood risk,
• Conduct proper water management as it prevents the effects of drought.

As a part of the Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Masurian Loop, Antea Group Poland developed technical solutions including construction parameters, range of impacts and protections against negative impacts. This Preliminary Feasibility study included the following:

• Analysis of conditions limiting the class of the Masurian Loop waterway,
• Development of the multi-variant concept of the waterway route along with an indication of the tourist infrastructure location,
• Analysis of the environmental conditions of each proposed variant, together with an indication of the recommended variant,
• Analysis of legal and social conditions of each of the proposed variants,
• Multi-criteria analysis of the waterway alternatives,
• Cost and revenue analysis of each variant with an indication of possible sources of financing for the project,
• Development of the budgeted cost of work scheduled for the recommended variant,
• Development of recommendations for subsequent stages of investment,
• Visualization of the recommended variant,
• Presentation of the scope of the analyses carried out and selection of the best option.

The contract was completed in December 2022.
The initial cost of the recommended option was PLN 246,000.