The observation tower at the Goczałkowice Reservoir is now available to tourists

At the beginning of the new year, the 15-meter observation tower in Wisła Mała was made available for use. This is very good news for tourists and birdwatching enthusiasts. Construction of the observation point carried out as part of the LIFE.VISTULA.PL project, one of the key tasks of which is the creation of tourist infrastructure and education on the protection of common tern and night heron in the Upper Vistula Valley.

The tower is located directly on the provincial road No. 939 between Wisła Wielka and Strumień. The planned opening of the observation point before the next breeding season of water and marsh birds on Bird’s Barrel is a great opportunity to observe broods of common terns, black-headed gulls and mediterranean gulls, which will choose the island as their habitat.

– The platform is a convenient place to observe birds nesting on Bird’s Barrel – an island built on Lake Goczałkowickie in 2020. It will also be used by ornithologists and rescue services monitoring the reservoir. It will also be an ideal spot to admire the local landscape – says Mirosława Mierczyk-Sawicka, Regional Director of Environmental Protection in Katowice.

As part of the construction of the tourist infrastructure were also built a lookout for photographing birds, a bower, a path and a car park with an exit from the provincial road. The total cost is almost PLN 754,000. zlotys.

New tank monitoring point

The location of the tower is a place commonly used by anglers. In addition, the newly built facilities will serve as an observation point for services that play key roles in securing and properly managing the reservoir.

Thanks to the platform, the police will be able to monitor poaching activities, and the fisheries guard will be able to control fishing, thanks to which the appropriate water quality is maintained. For the fire brigade, the tower will make it easier to observe potential life-threatening situations and undertake rescue operations. Boating is permitted on the reservoir to a limited extent and there are reports of boat capsizing or sinking in the shallows each season.

The tower will also serve the administrator of the reservoir – Górnośląskie Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów – due to the fact that it is very important to monitor the condition of the reservoir in the area of the Vistula estuary, where the water level changes many times during the year. After heavy rainfall, the river carries increased amounts of sediments and other elements, e.g. tree branches.