Elongated dam construction in Arvika ready for summer

The idea came already after the great flood in Arvika in 2000, but the road to a complete flood protection has been long and bordered by setbacks.

When the water has risen - again - many Arvikabors have wondered where is happening to the dam to protect them.

"It's pretty serious about this," says Sonja Thenman, who is watching the flood in Stadsparken.

- They are in the process of building that dam. We would need it now.

But now the dam building is entering the final phase. In June, everything will be ready.

- It has taken a long time. Only the appeals process took six years, and since then the construction time has also been longer, because the rock was more fractured than the investigations showed, says Elin Alsterhag, head of municipal-owned Technology in the West.

But do you feel confident that it will really work?

- Yes we do. All choices during the journey have been made as simple and stable as possible. No hydraulic gear that can be complicated, but it is simple and robust.

The dam has five openings, for boat passages and for the water flow to work. As the water rises, the openings are closed again with large steel hatches, and water is pumped from Kattviken into the Glafsfjord to keep the level around the urban area down.

The decision to close the dam is made by the rescue officer. The boundary is set at 47 meters above sea level - the same level as the quay in Stadsparken.

- Much of the socially important business will be in the area protected by the dam. In this way, we are relieved and given greater opportunities to help in the parts that are outside, says Mattias Larsson, rescue manager in Arvika and Säffle.

How much do you long for the pond to clear?

- I long for it! It is the finest gift a municipality can give a rescue manager.