The water level in the Dombrovskyi Quarry has risen by approximately half a metre over the past year. According to the latest inspection, no critical increase has been recorded. At the same time, Kalush is preparing to implement a water regulation project designed to prevent water from the Sivka River from entering the quarry. The current situation unfolds against the backdrop of long-standing environmental problems in the Kalush mining and industrial area, documented for years in official regional environmental reports.
Kalush Mayor Andrii Naida reported on the results of the latest inspection of the Dombrovskyi Quarry. According to him, the water level has risen by approximately 0.5 metres compared with last year, although no critical increase has been recorded at present.
One of the key priorities identified by the city authorities is preventing water from the Sivka River from entering the Dombrovskyi Quarry. To support this effort, the Kalush City Council approved a letter of guarantee concerning co-financing for the construction of a water regulation facility — a step required to attract state funding.
According to publicly available information, the project includes the construction of four flood-protection dikes, bank reinforcement, a channel alongside the dikes, a water regulation structure, and water outlets. The measures are expected to limit the inflow of water from the Sivka River into the quarry and direct a greater volume of water along the river’s natural channel.
The announced total project cost exceeds UAH 78.6 million, including VAT. Under the baseline scenario, the community must confirm its readiness to provide up to 38% in co-financing. If part of the required contribution is covered by the regional environmental protection fund, the Kalush community’s share could decrease to 15%
It has also been reported that the municipal housing and utilities department has already cleared the old channel of the Sivka River almost as far as the city bypass road. The next expected step is an inspection of the future project site by a state commission.

A Problem Spanning Decades
The current situation surrounding the water level in the Dombrovskyi Quarry should not be viewed as an isolated episode. Environmental problems in the Kalush mining and industrial area have a long history and have repeatedly been documented in official reports.
The 2015 Regional Report on the State of the Environment in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast described the Kalush mining and industrial area as a territory facing a particularly difficult environmental situation. The report linked the development of adverse human-induced factors to decisions related to the extraction and processing of potash ores, as well as the location of mining and chemical enterprises and associated infrastructure. It stated that the resulting sources of environmental danger posed threats to the environment, flora and fauna, and the living conditions of the region’s population.

Risks Were Again Documented in the 2018 Official Report
Three years later, the 2018 Regional Report again identified the Dombrovskyi Quarry as part of the former potash production complex. Alongside the quarry, the report listed exhausted mines, two external waste dumps, two tailings storage facilities, and a sludge storage facility.
The report again linked this complex to hazardous processes, including land subsidence, sinkhole formation, karst processes, landslides, and contamination of land, surface water, and groundwater.
A comparison of the 2015 and 2018 official reports shows that this was not a short-term problem limited to a single year. Similar descriptions of the former potash production complex persisted in regional environmental reporting over time.

Why the Sivka River Matters
The Sivka River forms part of the Dniester River basin network. For more information about the Sivka River and its basin context, visit the environmental catalogue of the Youth Public Environmental Organization “Our Home – Manyava.”

У Регіональній доповіді за 2015 рік її названо серед річок системи приток Дністра в межах Івано-Франківської області.
A similar basin context appears in the 2018 Regional Report, which also identifies the Sivka within the network of Dniester tributaries.
In the most recent report analysed for this article — the 2024 Regional Report — the Sivka is again listed among the major tributaries of the Dniester within the oblast. The document states that the Dniester basin includes the Dniester River and 124 tributaries longer than 10 km, naming among the largest the Limnytsia, Svicha, Sivka, Lukva, Vorona, and other rivers.
For this reason, preventing water from the Sivka from entering the Dombrovskyi Quarry goes beyond the technical management of water levels at a single industrial site. It forms part of the broader challenge of managing water-related risks within the river system.

Water Levels in the Quarry Have Previously Drawn Public Attention
The latest announcement is not the first time that changes in the water level of the Dombrovskyi Quarry have attracted public attention.
In March 2024, Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk reported a rise in the quarry’s water level. At the time, local authorities stated that there were no risks to the environment or local residents.
As early as 2021, public discussion had also focused on potential risks of salinisation of freshwater groundwater resources and the possible spread of contamination through the river network. Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk reported on these concerns in connection with the work of an interagency commission of Ukraine’s environmental authorities.
This historical context does not mean that such impacts are occurring now. However, it demonstrates why the condition of the Dombrovskyi Quarry and its relationship with surface water and groundwater require long-term monitoring.

From a Long-Standing Problem to a New Infrastructure Response
The planned water regulation facility could become an important element in reducing risks associated with the interaction between the Sivka River and the Dombrovskyi Quarry. At the same time, the scale and duration of the problem indicate the need for systematic monitoring of the water regime, surface water and groundwater conditions, and geological processes.
The reported increase in the water level of approximately half a metre does not, by itself, provide a complete picture of the long-term trend. A comprehensive assessment requires comparable data over several years, a clear measurement methodology, consideration of seasonal fluctuations, and accessible water-quality monitoring results.

Sources
public statement by Kalush Mayor Andrii Naida on the inspection of the Dombrovskyi Quarry and preparations for the water regulation project;
2015 Regional Report on the State of the Environment in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast;
2018 Regional Report on the State of the Environment in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast;
2024 Regional Report on the State of the Environment in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast;
reporting by Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk on developments surrounding the Dombrovskyi Quarry in 2021 and 2024.