Cleanup of the Ostramo lagoons

The oil lagoons at the site of the former Ostramo chemical plant are one of the Czech Republic’s most serious ecological burdens. Around 200 000 tonnes of oil sludge were dumped there by an oil refinery that operated at the site from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century. In 1965 the Ostramo company also began dumping waste from the recycling of used lubricants. The company was closed down in 1996, and in the same year the Czech government took over the site in order to clean up the waste; the state-owned company DIAMO was entrusted with this job.

The site has three lagoons separated from each other by earth embankments, plus one lagoon in a pit at a former brickworks. The site also includes around 18 hectares of industrial premises owned by a private company.

The City of Ostrava regularly urges the Ministry of the Environment, the Czech government and the Prime Minister to comply with the agreed schedule for the cleanup of the lagoons – and to carry out the work in such a way as to minimize the negative impacts on local people’s health and quality of life.

Part of the lagoons has already been cleared. However, 100 000 tonnes of oil materials and 400 000 tonnes of contaminated soil still remain to be cleared.

The City and the Region insist on a permanent solution which will not lead to recurring problems in the future, ensuring that the site can be repurposed as an industrial zone or a similar facility.