The Romanian Waters National Administration (ANAR) warns that cancelling the permit for the Mihaileni Reservoir on the Crisul Alb River - Hunedoara County, comes at a time when most of the works are already completed and the bulk of public money - about RON 147 million out of 173 million - has already been spent, putting both public safety and efficient use of public funds at risk.
ANAR says the project has been repeatedly blocked over the past four years by lawsuits filed by the Declic civic activism community, which led to repeated suspensions of administrative procedures and halted a project already in an advanced stage.
The reservoir works are fully completed, while road and power line diversions, authorised in 2024 - 2025, are still under way. ANAR stresses that stopping a nearly finished project means losing major public investments and the social and economic benefits planned for more than three decades.
The institution notes that the upper sector of Crisul Alb is prone to flash floods even at a moderate amount of precipitation, and that the reservoir is essential for flood protection, water supply, and drought management. Even before completion, the reservoir has already proven effective, retaining 2.5 - 3 million cubic metres of water during recent heavy rainfall events (in January 2024, and May 2025), and helping protect around 17,000 residents in Criscior, Brad and Vata de Jos.
Despite the court ruling, ANAR says it has a legal and moral duty to ensure that a project built almost entirely with public money becomes operational rather than abandoned, as it is a nationally important investment with major benefits for water management, flood protection and regional development.
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