Czech Army deploys chemical specialists to contaminated Šumava site

The Czech Army has deployed 20 soldiers and specialized equipment to a contaminated former military site in Šumava National Park, beginning a detailed survey ahead of what officials say could be a lengthy cleanup operation.

The deployment comes as police open a criminal investigation into the site, where authorities estimate around 1,000 metric tonnes of contaminated soil and 200 barrels containing hazardous chemicals remain.

Soldiers began engineering and chemical surveys Wednesday at the former Dobrá Voda military area in western Šumava, Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna said. Additional military personnel are on standby if needed.

Wednesday's operation followed a coordination meeting involving the army, Šumava National Park administration, firefighters and representatives of the Defense and Environment ministries.

Zůna described the first day of the operation as successful and said the army plans to have a proposal for its next steps ready for the government by Monday.

"It will be a challenging, long-term task, but we will certainly accomplish it," he said.

The Czech Army's specialist chemical capabilities are centered on the 31st Regiment for Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection in Liberec.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said Monday that the military would be responsible for cleaning up the former training ground. Environment Minister Igor Červený has estimated the cost at CZK 192 million and said removing the barrels of hazardous chemicals, ideally before the end of this year, is the immediate priority.

For visitors to Šumava, authorities have not announced additional restrictions on nearby hiking routes. The contaminated area is several kilometers beyond the nearest point accessible by car and is protected by a no-entry zone, while police are regularly patrolling the site.

Police confirmed Wednesday that they had received a criminal complaint and opened an investigation on suspicion of negligent endangerment of public safety and negligent damage to and endangerment of the environment.

Investigators have not disclosed who filed the complaint. Police also cautioned that the possible legal classification could change as the investigation develops.

The contamination itself has been known about for several years. A bunker ceiling collapsed at the former military site in 2020, and a subsequent survey led to the removal of chemicals, packaging and contaminated soil.

A wider investigation beginning in 2023 uncovered underground pits, buried waste and loosely stored chemical substances. During work on one small area that summer, specialists removed 48.5 metric tonnes of contaminated soil and 2.4 tonnes of containers and other material.

Among the discoveries were containers previously used for chemical warfare agents, glass ampoules and vials, and heavily corroded pressure drums. Tests did not confirm the presence of chemical warfare agents in samples from the site.

Červený has accused the previous Environment Ministry leadership of knowing about the contamination without adequately addressing it. The police investigation is at an early stage and has not established criminal responsibility.

The army's current survey is intended to provide a clearer picture of the scale and nature of the contamination before the government decides how the broader cleanup will proceed.