Within the framework of the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Operational Program (Kehop), HUF 15.748 billion from non-refundable European Union and domestic support the first phase of the Civaqua program is being built in Debrecen.

Within the framework of the Civaqua-Tócó project, the Tócó watercourse west of Debrecen will be revitalized and revived. The development is implemented by the consortium of the National Water Directorate General (OVF) and the Tiszántúl Water Directorate (Tivizig), in cooperation with the Debrecen municipality. The planned deadline for the completion of the project is November 30, 2023 – it was announced at the project presentation.

László Papp (Fidesz-KDNP), the mayor of Debrecen, explained that the Civaqua program “is not intended to serve the water supply of the city, but the water management of the region”. With the implementation of the program, “Debrecen’s water supply and water management are secured and balanced in the long term,” said the mayor.

According to István Láng, the director general of the OVF, this is the case Debrecen will also need additional water supply, therefore, it is planned that the Nyírség water supply system should have a southern branch, with water coming from Nyíradony and Hajdúsámson to the Debrecen water system.

The general director said that the specialized industry is facing two challenges in the region: one is the development of Debrecen, and the other is the increasing drought period. They are lagging behind, because the Eastern Main Canal, built in the 1950s, cannot supply enough water, so the dredging of the riverbed must be put on the agenda, he added.

István Láng highlighted: as a result of the first phase of Civaqua the water of the Tisza reaches the western area of ​​Debrecen, but the second phase is already being planned. With the implementation of the latter, the water will also embrace the city from the east, and among others, the Nagyerdő and forest clearings, and the Fancsikai lakes will be replenished with water.

Dániel Kincses, director of Tivizig, explained the details: within the framework of the current project, the renovation of the HTVR pumping station, which provides the system’s water supply from the Eastern main canal, will take place with the installation of a new, high-performance pump, as well as the construction of new pressure pipes in the courtyard.

During the investment a pressure pipeline with a diameter of one thousand millimeters is being built with a length of almost 13 kilometers. The main water of the Keleti reaches the 3,000 cubic meter reinforced concrete leveling reservoir, which is also being built as part of the project, through this new pressure pipeline, which is being built at the high point in the area above Debrecen-Józsa, near the access road to Boda. This task is the biggest challenge in the system, as the difference in level between the main Eastern channel and the compensating reservoir is 63 meters, the director pointed out.

The water will be delivered from the compensating reservoir to the source area of ​​the Tócó, the Mélyvölgyi, by the approximately two kilometer long, 600 millimeter diameter gravity line that is also being built. From there, a ditch with an open earth bed of almost one kilometer leads the water into the Tócó – he explained, noting that an important element of the project is the construction of the upper water supply route in the Tócó valley.

For the sake of the latter, 14 damming structures and four bottom steps will be built along the Tócó. The Tócó bed will be rehabilitated next to the Józsa district, and a reservoir with a volume of 23,000 cubic meters will be built in the area of ​​Vezér út in Debrecen. The construction of this reservoir has already begun, the construction of the embankment is currently underway, first, in preparation for the construction of the Tócó artefacts, the shrubbery and clearing works have also started – said the director. The Civaqua program represents a regional development that ensures the satisfaction of the needs of water management and nature protection – it was announced at the event.

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