Water Sports Centre Cunovo
Encyclopedia
The Water Sports Centre Čunovo is an artificial whitewater
slalom course in Slovakia
, on an island in the Danube
river, 14 km southeast of Bratislava
, near the village of Čunovo
. It is powered by flow diversion from the Čunovo dam
. Since 1997, it has hosted a full schedule of local, regional, and international competitions, including the 1997 Slalom World Cup and the 2011 Slalom World Championships
.
The two channels are connected at two crossover points, making a total of five alternative routes from start to finish. From a start in the left channel, there are three ways to run the course; from a right channel start there are two. Any run which ends up in the left channel includes a sheer final drop called "Niagara."
A conveyor-belt boat lift carries paddlers in their boats up to a 225-meter-long return canal on a level with the start pool.
The Water Sports Centre Čunovo was built in 1996 on an island near the mid-river end of the Čunovo dam, a flood control feature of the Čunovo to Gabčíkovo dam system. The island is high enough to remain dry during floods. In March 2002 and again the same August, the whitewater course was inundated, but the buildings and most of the island remained above water.
When the Water Sports Centre operates at full capacity, with the two whitewater channels carrying a combined total of 22 m³/sec (777 ft³/sec), it siphons off between 9% and 4.5% of the river's normal flow of 250 to 600 m³/sec (8,830 to 21,200 ft³/sec).
Full course operation represents a 4-Megawatt sacrifice of electricity production at the Gabčíkovo dam 30 km farther downstream. Although the water flowing through the slalom course represents only 1.4 Megawatts of energy, if it stayed in the reservoir until it reached the Gabčíkovo dam, with a higher vertical drop, its energy potential would be greater. This fact makes the course more expensive to operate, in energy terms, than a similar pump-powered facility.
, from the upstream, western, end at Čunovo, Slovakia, to Nagymaros
, Hungary, in the east. Construction started when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, but only on the Slovakian side. In 1989, Hungary had suspended its participation and in 1992 backed out of the 1977 treaty altogether. Slovakia has been in litigation with Hungary ever since.
In 1992, Slovakia completed the 30-km section from Čunovo to Gabčíkovo, which includes a dam at each end, each dam spanning half the river width, the two dams being connected by a 30-km long levee, all of which combine to impound the 40 km² Čunovo reservoir and force the river into a navigation channel on the left side of the riverbed. The Čunovo dam, on river right at the upstream end, is a flood control feature with 27 spillways to send excess water into the bypass channel and flood plain south of the navigation channel. The Gabčíkovo dam, at the downstream end, contains the main navigation locks and the hydropower plant, which began operation in 1996 and now provides electricity equal to 11% of the total Slovakian demand. Its maximum capacity is 720 Megawatts at a water discharge rate of 4,000 m³/sec (141,000 ft³/sec).
The two dams and the levee support a two-lane road which is the first Danube river crossing below Bratislava, but vehicles must drive the length of the 30-km levee to complete the crossing. This is the road which provides access to the Water Sports Centre, mid-river at the Čunovo end.
Artificial whitewater
An artificial whitewater course is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids.-Flow diversion:...
slalom course in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, on an island in the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river, 14 km southeast of Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, near the village of Čunovo
Cunovo
Čunovo is a small part of Bratislava, Slovakia, in the southern area near the Hungarian border. It is located close to the Gabčíkovo - Nagymaros Dams.- History :...
. It is powered by flow diversion from the Čunovo dam
Gabcíkovo - Nagymaros Dams
The Gabčíkovo – Nagymaros Dams is a large barrage project on the Danube. It was initiated by the Budapest Treaty of 16 September 1977 between Czechoslovakia and Hungary...
. Since 1997, it has hosted a full schedule of local, regional, and international competitions, including the 1997 Slalom World Cup and the 2011 Slalom World Championships
2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
The 2011 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were scheduled to take place from September 7–11, 2011 in Bratislava, Slovakia under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. Bad weather conditions on September 7 and 8 forced the organizers to make changes to the schedule. The events were all...
.
Course Description
The Centre has two parallel whitewater channels; the drop is the same for both channels, 6.6 meters (22 ft). The left channel is 356 meters long, with a 1.9% slope of 19 m/km (98 ft/mile) and a streamflow of 7 to 22 m³/sec (247 to 777 ft³/sec). The right channel is 460 meters long, with a 1.4% slope of 14 m/km (76 ft/mile) and a streamflow of 7 to 12 m³/sec (247 to 424 ft³/sec). When both channels are watered, the left channel streamflow is 15 m³/sec (530 ft³/sec) and the right is 7 m³/sec (247 ft³/sec).The two channels are connected at two crossover points, making a total of five alternative routes from start to finish. From a start in the left channel, there are three ways to run the course; from a right channel start there are two. Any run which ends up in the left channel includes a sheer final drop called "Niagara."
A conveyor-belt boat lift carries paddlers in their boats up to a 225-meter-long return canal on a level with the start pool.
The Water Sports Centre Čunovo was built in 1996 on an island near the mid-river end of the Čunovo dam, a flood control feature of the Čunovo to Gabčíkovo dam system. The island is high enough to remain dry during floods. In March 2002 and again the same August, the whitewater course was inundated, but the buildings and most of the island remained above water.
When the Water Sports Centre operates at full capacity, with the two whitewater channels carrying a combined total of 22 m³/sec (777 ft³/sec), it siphons off between 9% and 4.5% of the river's normal flow of 250 to 600 m³/sec (8,830 to 21,200 ft³/sec).
Full course operation represents a 4-Megawatt sacrifice of electricity production at the Gabčíkovo dam 30 km farther downstream. Although the water flowing through the slalom course represents only 1.4 Megawatts of energy, if it stayed in the reservoir until it reached the Gabčíkovo dam, with a higher vertical drop, its energy potential would be greater. This fact makes the course more expensive to operate, in energy terms, than a similar pump-powered facility.
Čunovo Dam
The "Budapest Treaty" of 1977, between Hungary and Czechoslovakia, was a plan to tame the Danube and increase its navigability with levees, dams, locks, overflow channels, and designated flood plains, and to generate hydroelectricity. The joint project was intended to cover the entire 150 km stretch of the Danube as it forms the border between Slovakia and HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, from the upstream, western, end at Čunovo, Slovakia, to Nagymaros
Nagymaros
- External links :*...
, Hungary, in the east. Construction started when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, but only on the Slovakian side. In 1989, Hungary had suspended its participation and in 1992 backed out of the 1977 treaty altogether. Slovakia has been in litigation with Hungary ever since.
In 1992, Slovakia completed the 30-km section from Čunovo to Gabčíkovo, which includes a dam at each end, each dam spanning half the river width, the two dams being connected by a 30-km long levee, all of which combine to impound the 40 km² Čunovo reservoir and force the river into a navigation channel on the left side of the riverbed. The Čunovo dam, on river right at the upstream end, is a flood control feature with 27 spillways to send excess water into the bypass channel and flood plain south of the navigation channel. The Gabčíkovo dam, at the downstream end, contains the main navigation locks and the hydropower plant, which began operation in 1996 and now provides electricity equal to 11% of the total Slovakian demand. Its maximum capacity is 720 Megawatts at a water discharge rate of 4,000 m³/sec (141,000 ft³/sec).
The two dams and the levee support a two-lane road which is the first Danube river crossing below Bratislava, but vehicles must drive the length of the 30-km levee to complete the crossing. This is the road which provides access to the Water Sports Centre, mid-river at the Čunovo end.
