VTEI / List of articles

List of articles from – 5/2025

Development and current practice of groundwater balance in Czech Republic: from reserve classification to comprehensive assessment of natural resources

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This article presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of methodological approaches to groundwater balance assessment in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic from the 1960s to the present. It outlines the transition from a static evaluation of “exploitable re-serves” toward a dynamic, process-based concept, emphasizing regular comparisons between actual water abstraction and natural groundwa-ter resources. This shift includes the adoption of monthly assessment intervals and quantile characteristics of base flow, aligning with the requirements of both national legislation (especially Act no. 254/2001 Coll., the Water Act) and European directives on water protection.

Dynamics of humic substances in peat habitats of Prameniště Chomutovka nature reserve

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This article focuses on evaluating the concentrations of humic substances (HS) in peatland waters in the Ore Mountains region, specifically in the area near the village of Hora Svatého Šebestiána in the Prameniště Chomutovky nature reserve. The aim was to assess the impact of restoration measures on the occurrence of HS in surface and subsurface waters in a post-peat-extraction environment. Monitoring was carried out from 2022 to 2024 on two experimental sites – one restored (site A) and one predominantly non-restored (site B) – and involved extensive monthly sampling, installation of flow weirs, shallow observation wells, and meteorological stations.

The impact of hydrological extremes on ponds and small water reservoirs

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This paper presents the methodological approach and key results of the research project Design of ponds and small reservoirs in terms of the possibility to comply with MPF and flood safety (TA CR, no. SS03010230). The project focused on the assessment of ponds, pond systems and small reservoirs in relation to two hydrological extremes – draught and floods. During periods of drought, the issue of maintaining the minimum residual flow is addressed. The article describes the method of determining and maintaining the minimum residual flow at these hydraulic structures. Furthermore, the article deals with the assessment of the security of these structures in terms of the safe discharge of flood flows in accordance with ČSN 75 2935 – Assessment of the safety of hydraulic structures during floods.

Typology and effects of roads on runoff regime in protected areas

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The article presents the results of the project Analysis of Changes in the Water Regime of Land and Watercourses in the Krkonoše National Park Caused by the Network of Roads (TA CR, no. TITSMZP945), implemented as a public procurement commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic within the BETA2 applied research programme. The main output of the project is a two‑level typology of the road network in terms of its impact on surface and subsurface runoff. This typology was applied to the territory of Krkonoše National Park (KRNAP) in the Czech Republic and presented in the form of cartographic atlases. The article describes the principles and criteria of the proposed typology and the methodology of its application in map production, which at the basic level combines spatial analyses of road network datasets, digital terrain models and the hydrographic network, and at the detailed level incorporates the results of extensive field surveys. The original analytical procedures include, among other things, the detection of directional and elevation breaks in road segments and the delineation of micro‑catchments for individual sections. The resulting maps provide KRNAP Administration and other managers of protected areas with a tool for identifying road segments with the highest potential impact on the hydrological regime and serve as a basis for planning compensatory measures or restoration interventions.

Interview with Ing. Libor Elleder, Ph.D., hydrologist from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague

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Have you ever wondered what a hydrologist might discuss at a table with historians, archivists, and chroniclers? Can historical data help us gain a better understanding of today’s flood risk assessment? And might deeper knowledge of past floods prepare us for future ones linked to climate change? We put these questions to Ing. Libor Elleder, Ph.D., in the October hydrology issue of VTEI.

Department of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Hydrogeology: international projects starting in 2025

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At the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute (TGM WRI), two international projects were launched in 2025. These include the SWIM project, funded under the Horizon Europe programme, and the FrauNyLu project, supported by the Interreg cross-border cooperation programme. Both projects also address hydrological topics, which will be managed by the Department of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Hydrogeology.