Hazardous chemicals found at former military site in Šumava National Park

A survey in Šumava National Park has uncovered 200 barrels containing hazardous chemicals and around 1,000 tonnes of contaminated soil at a former military training area used by the Czechoslovak army. A clean-up operation is being launched that will cost millions of crowns and is expected to take several years.

Environment Minister Igor Červený (Motorists) revealed details of the contamination at a press briefing on Tuesday, blaming his predecessors for negligence, and saying that a disaster of immense proportions had been narrowly averted.

Igor Červený|Photo: Michaela Danelová, iROZHLAS.cz

“There are approximately 1,000 tonnes of contaminated soil in the area, as well as 200 barrels containing these highly dangerous chemicals. They include mercury, arsenic, dioxins, furans and chlorinated solvents. These are substances that, if they were to react together in the area, for example as a result of a fire, could create a new phosgene-based substance. You can imagine what a disaster that would cause. Some of the barrels could also explode, and we cannot rule out the presence of military explosives on the site as well. But what is even worse is that some of the barrels have unfortunately leaked substances into the soil and may have contaminated groundwater.”

According to the minister, the contaminated area covers roughly the equivalent of two football pitches. For security reasons, the ministry will not disclose the exact location of the contaminated zone and the minister appealed to the public not to try to penetrate into the area, which is now guarded by police.

The immediate priority, the minister said, is to carry out a hydrogeological survey to determine whether, and to what extent, groundwater has been affected. But he said a comprehensive clean-up operation will take years.

Photo: Ministry of the Environment

“The first phase  - scheduled to run from the end of September to the beginning of November –will involve removing all the main hazardous material – the barrels and the large-capacity tanks. Phase two, which will overlap with phases three and four, will involve gradually removing the contaminated soil and undertaking continuous groundwater surveys to make sure that we have not actually contaminated the groundwater. Everything should be completed by the end of June 2028.”

The former military training ground was closed in 1991 and the contamination was likely to have occurred in the preceding decades, but the environment minister says that the problem was uncovered in 2023 and blames his predecessor in office for what he called “criminal negligence”.

Šumava|Photo: Barbora Němcová, Radio Prague International

“The Ministry of the Environment, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior which is assisting the effort, will jointly file a criminal complaint, so that the authorities launch an investigation into the matter and why it was neglected. The criminal complaint is necessary because the population and the environment were genuinely placed at risk.”

According to available information, a clean-up operation was launched in 2023, commissioned by the Šumava National Park management, but when the company tasked with the effort revealed the extent of the damage and alerted the Ministry of Environment it reportedly failed to take action.