Evaluating Transport Corridors for the Integration of Water-Transfer Infrastructures—A Case Study from the Czech Republic
Source abstract
Abstract
This article evaluates the potential for integrating planned water transfer infrastructure with existing transport corridors. A novel method was developed to assess the suitability of major road, highway, and railway corridors based on the availability of adjacent state-owned land for water pipeline construction. A five-category classification was introduced, reflecting the ratio of available land area (m2) to corridor segment length (m). This approach was first applied across the whole Czech Republic and then tested in detail on a regional pilot case study involving a planned water pipeline from the Nýrsko reservoir to the city of Plzeň with a total length of 72 km, supplying 250,000 inhabitants. Results showed a promising share of highly suitable corridors (23.6% nationwide; 20.6% in the case study). The method offers a tool for cost-effective planning of water transfer systems and can help to minimize land acquisition costs by utilizing state land along transport infrastructure. It is transferable and replicable for similar applications in other regions.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Maritime Ports and Logistics · Transportation Planning and Optimization
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Department of Hydrology and Water Conservation, Žabovřeská 250, 156 27 Prague, Czech Republic
Vodohospodářský Rozvoj a Výstavba a.s., Nábřežní 4, 150 56 Praha, Czech Republic
Funding
National Agricultural Research Agency · Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic
References (43)
Show source-provided references
1. (2025, July 09). WHO/UN-Water, Water-Related Challenges, UN.org. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/water.
2. Söller, L., Luetkemeier, R., Müller Schmied, H., and Döll, P. (2024). Groundwater stress in Europe—Assessing uncertainties in future groundwater discharge alterations due to water abstractions and climate change. Front. Water, 6.10.3389/frwa.2024.1448625 ↗
3. Are we losing water storage capacity mostly due to climate change? Analysis of the landscape hydric potential in selected catchments in East-Central Europe10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110913 ↗
4. The potential of the private sector in combating water scarcity: The economics10.1016/j.wasec.2021.100090 ↗
5. European Environment Agency (2024). Europe’s State of Water 2024: The Need for Improved Water Resilience, Publications Office of the EU. EEA Report No 07/2024.
6. Interbasin water transfers in the United States and Canada10.1038/s41597-023-01935-4 ↗
7. Management of water supply systems from interbasin transfers: Case study in the Brazilian semiarid region10.1080/1573062X.2021.1925703 ↗
8. Managing potable water in southeastern Spain, Los Angeles, and Sydney: Transcontinental approaches to overcome water scarcity10.1007/s11269-023-03721-8 ↗
9. Inter-basin surface water transfers database for public water supplies in conterminous United States, 1986–201510.1038/s41597-023-02148-5 ↗
10. Estimation of excess water in the Sebou basin for an interbasin water transfer10.1080/23249676.2021.1884616 ↗
11. Strategic analysis of the drought resilience of water supply systems10.1098/rsta.2021.0292 ↗
12. Assessing environmental, economic, and social impacts of inter-basin water transfer in China10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.130008 ↗
13. Infrastructural lock-ins in the temporal and spatial development of a long-distance water transfer in Germany10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131070 ↗
14. Sustainability of water transfer projects: A systematic review10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160500 ↗
15. Regional water allocation for coordinated development among the social, economic and environmental systems
16. Are intra- and inter-basin water transfers a sustainable policy intervention for addressing water scarcity?10.1016/j.wasec.2019.100058 ↗
17. The feasibility of inter-basin water transfers to manage climate risk in England10.1016/j.crm.2021.100322 ↗
18. Interbasin water transfer in a changing world: A new conceptual model10.1177/03091333211065004 ↗
19. Exploring optimal joint operating rules for large-scale inter-basin water transfer projects with multiple water sources, diversion routes, and water demand areas10.1016/j.ejrh.2023.101504 ↗
20. Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (2025, July 09). Report on the State of Water Management in the Czech Republic in 2023, Available online: https://mze.gov.cz/public/portal/mze/-a52982---T_okw9lF/zprava-o-stavu-vodniho-hospodarstvi-ceske-republiky-v-roce-2023?_linka=a597886.
21. Caithamlová, M., Kročová, Š., and Mariňáková, J. (2024). Operation of water supply systems in the Czech Republic—Risk analysis. Appl. Sci., 14.10.3390/app14041572 ↗
22. Hejduková, P., Marval, Š., Roub, R., Zrostlík, Š., Kopp, J., Hejduk, T., Sychová, P., Kureková, L., Pavlíčková, L., and Bureš, L. (2025, July 09). Dostupnost Pitné Vody pro Obyvatele Malých Obcí jako Indikátor Socio-Ekonomického Rozvoje Společnosti. Certifikovaná Metodika. Available online: https://agronavigator.cz/sites/default/files/users/user291/Metodiky/e_metodika_zapivo.pdf.
23. Hejduková, P., Zrostlík, Š., and Hejduk, T. (2025, July 09). Propojování Vodárenských Soustav jako Efektivní Řešení pro Zajištění Kvalitního Zdroje Vody. TZB-info. Available online: https://voda.tzb-info.cz/vlastnosti-a-zdroje-vody/23440-propojovani-vodarenskych-soustav-jako-efektivni-reseni-pro-zajisteni-kvalitniho-zdroje-vody.
24. Meitner, J., Štěpánek, P., Skalák, P., Dubrovský, M., Lhotka, O., Penčevová, R., Zahradníček, P., Farda, A., and Trnka, M. (2023). Validation and selection of a representative subset from the ensemble of EURO-CORDEX EUR11 regional climate model outputs for the Czech Republic. Atmosphere, 14.10.3390/atmos14091442 ↗
25. The implications of projected climate change for freshwater resources and their management10.1623/hysj.53.1.3 ↗
26. Potenciál chráněných území pro akumulaci povrchových vod pro zmírnění dopadů klimatické změny na zásobování pitnou vodou10.46555/VTEI.2022.11.004 ↗
27. Use of GIS for selection of optimal route for water pipelines in hill areas10.1007/s41062-023-01306-3 ↗
28. Optimized phased planning for dynamic rehabilitation of integrated municipal infrastructure10.2166/aqua.2024.083 ↗
29. Mosbach, J., Krämer, M., Fiedler, J.E., Sonnenburg, A., and Urban, W. (2022). Combined districting and main line routing—A method to implement a basic drinking water supply infrastructure in informal settlements. Water, 14.10.3390/w14182805 ↗
30. A decision making approach for water transfer systems by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS10.1007/s11269-023-03559-0 ↗
31. Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK) (2020). INSPIRE Theme—Transport Networks—Road Transport, Data Specification and Accuracy of ZABAGED®; ČÚZK. Available online: https://geoportal.cuzk.cz/(S(k5ihzevprysew0wfuwb0flko))/Default.aspx?lng=CZ&mode=TextMeta&side=zabaged&metadataID=CZ-CUZK-TN_ROAD-V&mapid=8&menu=248.
32. Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK) (2020). INSPIRE Theme—Transport Networks—Rail Transport, Data Specification of ZABAGED; ČÚZK. Available online: https://geoportal.cuzk.cz/(S(k5ihzevprysew0wfuwb0flko))/Default.aspx?lng=CZ&mode=TextMeta&side=zabaged&metadataID=CZ-CUZK-TN_RAIL-V&mapid=8&menu=247.
33. Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK) (2024). Register of Territorial Identification, Addresses and Real Estate (RÚIAN), Data Documentation; ČÚZK. Available online: https://vdp.cuzk.cz.
34. European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2007). Directive 2007/2/EC Establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE). Off. J. Eur. Union, L 108, 1–14.
35. Marval, Š., Zrostlík, Š., Hejduk, T., Fučík, P., Mašek, O., Zajíček, A., Poláková, L., Slavík, P., Kasal, R., and Anderlová, B. (2024). Využití Koridorů Dopravních Liniových Staveb k Dodávce Pitné a Závlahové vody do Deficitních Oblastí. Specializovaná mapa s odborným obsahem, VUMOP.
36. (2014). Czech Technical Standard ČSN 73 6360-1: Structural and Geometric Arrangement of Railway Tracks and Their Spatial Position—Part 1: Design (Standard No. ČSN 73 6360-1).
37. Zrostlík, Š., Hyšplerová, M., and Mašek, O. (2025, July 09). Sjednocení Studií Proveditelnosti „Propojení Skupinových vodovodů Nýrsko-Klatovy, Švihov, Přeštice, Dobřany a Plzeňská aglomerace” a „Propojení vodovodu Nýrsko-Domažlice-Holýšov s Plzeňskou Aglomerací-SP”. Available online: https://www.plzensky-kraj.cz/sjednoceni-studii-proveditelnosti-propojeni-skupi.
38. Asset Management Decision Support Model for Water Distribution Systems: Impact of Water Pipe Failure on Road and Water Networks10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001365 ↗
39. (2025, September 02). Act No. 13/1997 Coll., on Roads [Zákon č. 13/1997 Sb., o Pozemních Komunikacích]. Collection of Laws of the Czech Republic. Available online: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/1997-13.
40. (2025, September 02). Act No. 266/1994 Coll., on Railways [Zákon č. 266/1994 Sb., o Drahách]. Collection of Laws of the Czech Republic. Available online: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/1994-266.
41. (2025, September 02). Act No. 274/2001 Coll., on Water Supply and Sewerage Systems [Zákon č. 274/2001 Sb., o vodovodech a kanalizacích]. Collection of Laws of the Czech Republic. Available online: https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2001-274.
42. (2012). ČSN 75 5409: Design of Water Mains [ČSN 75 5409: Navrhování vodovodních řadů] (Standard No. ČSN 75 5409).
43. Mašek, O., Zrostlík, Š., Hejduk, T., Fučík, P., Marval, Š., Zajíček, A., Poláková, L., and Kasal, R. (2024). Vyhodnocení Potřeby Vody pro Vodárenské Účely 2030+. Specializovaná mapa s odborným obsahem, VUMOP.