You can't rebuild, you can't tear it down. Where to put a comma so that we do not make a fatal mistake with such a decision. Apparently, the Ministry of the Environment decided to choose the easiest way - "cannot rebuild, demolish".
It was already announced on the MadeinVilnius.lt website that the Ministry of the Environment made a decision that the emergency dam must be demolished.
"This dam on the Vilnia river has been in bad condition for many years, unused and unmaintained. The Vilnius River is included in the list of ecologically and culturally valuable rivers or their sections, so a new dam cannot be built in this place, and dismantling the old one would restore the integrity of the river and improve its ecological condition," said then Deputy Minister of Environment Martynas Norbutas.
However, the vice-minister did not mention several facts that, according to the research conducted, the main obstacle to salmon migration is the Rokantiškii hydroelectric power plant, which makes salmon migration even more difficult, even though the dam has a fishway for salmon to reach the upper reaches. In addition, the Belmont Dam is not maintained, because there is simply no owner, and the owners of the nearby entertainment and recreation complex, although they want to restore the dam at their own expense, but cannot undertake the restoration work due to the indifference of various institutions.
Three ways to solve the problem
Dr. Vytautas Kesminas of the GTC Hydrobiont Ecology and Physiology Laboratory presented his conclusion immediately after the dam collapse, an excerpt of which is provided below.
"Data from the Fish Migration and Spawning Survey over the past 7 years (2000-2016) show that about half of the salmon and smolt migrating to the spawning grounds pass through the Belmont Fish Passageway. Research on spawning grounds showed that 46% of spawning grounds are located in the river part of the Rokantiškii HPP - Belmont dam, and 56% in the lower part of the river (Belmont - lower reaches). Bearing in mind that a small part of the migrating fish overcomes the second fish channel (Rokantiškių), we can safely say that due to the accident in Belmont, about half of the migrating salmon and smolts will not be able to reach the spawning grounds above. Based on the results of recent years, the salmon population will lose about 2200 pucks, and the pike population about 1300 pucks. This is not a tragedy, because the intensity of migration and the efficiency of spawning depend on many factors, including natural ones - hydrological, climatic, etc. For these reasons, larger or smaller fluctuations in the abundance of spawning grounds are observed every year. <…> Another important thing to remember is that the Vilnius River is constantly fished with salmon and smolt fry. As a result, natural spawning populations are constantly replenished and fluctuations in the river are reduced.
Therefore, we must eliminate the consequences of the Belmont Dam accident as soon as possible and ensure the migration of salmon fish to spawning grounds, and we must maintain the stable condition of salmon and the proper structure of their habitats, as required by the NATURA 2000 directive. As discussed earlier, there are 3 possible solutions to the problem: 1- dam repair and return to the fishway; 2- removal of the dam and restoration of the natural bed; 3- removing the dam and installing a new threshold fish passage in its place. It should not be forgotten that the Belmont Dam has historical significance and is a big, interesting attraction for Vilnius residents and guests. Appropriate infrastructure has been created here for people's recreation and entertainment. Therefore, I would think that only the static dismantling of the dam would diminish this attractive object", said Dr. Vytautas Kesminas in his conclusion.
The Vilnius municipality ignores the businessman's appeal
This year, on April 3, the owner of "Belmont" officially applied to the Ministry of the Environment, Vilnius city municipalities administration and the mayor of the city of Vilnius, but received a reply from the Ministry of Environment that the appeal was received. No further response has been received so far.
It is worth reminding that the Belmont dam also has a fish channel, the installation of which was financed by Norwegian funds. It is to be regretted that the Vilnius municipality remains a passive observer of the situation and did not submit any comment to justify its position.
A petition is being organized to rebuild the Belmont (Pučkiori) dam
"Dear <...>, let's save the Pučkiori dam, let's save the history of our city and one of the few places of special beauty in our Vilnius.
The Belmont dam was built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, for many years it has been an integral part of the Vilnius valley and the entire historical landscape of Pavilnia, a protected cultural heritage object and one of the favorite places of rest for Vilnius residents and guests of the city.
The dam, built as an integral part of the French Leoniškės [Belmont] water mill, is a clear historical sign of the city of Vilnius <…>", - Eglė Baranauskaitė, the initiator of the petition, lacks determination.
The petition is currently signed by almost 3000 people who are not indifferent to the fate of the dam. The petition can be found here.
We can only hope that a pragmatic solution will be reached and we will be able to say that we have preserved something for future generations and that the most correct decision was made: "rebuild, you cannot demolish".
