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The project was screened A/0, requiring an environmental impact assessment.
A key aim of the project is environmental restoration and protection, with the following four specific objectives:
- reduction of pollution of Kastela Bay by extending the waste-water disposal network so that all waste water is collected, treated to primary stage and discharged to the Split and Brac channels, thereby decreasing pollution loads from uncontrolled waste-water discharges;
- water conservation by replacing leaking distributor mains and improving management of raw water transmission and distribution;
- reduction of water pollution in Pula by extending the sewage collection and treatment system.
Each sub-project funded under the loan of the EBRD to the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) is subject to environmental due diligence carried out on the basis of Terms of Reference jointly developed between the World Bank and the EBRD.
The two largest and environmentally most important sub-projects are sewage treatment plants near Split and on Ciovo Island, which will collect all municipal and industrial effluents currently discharged into Kastela Bay. This waste water will receive primary treatment and will then be discharged offshore into the Split and Brac Channels, using subsea discharge pipes outside the actual coastal area. At present, only primary treatment is planned.
A key issue is the impact of the discharges from the two treatment plants on water quality. The Croatian authorities and the municipalities believe that dispersion is sufficient to ensure compliance with Croatian environmental standards and all relevant European Union environmental standards. This has been confirmed by the Environmental Impact Assessment, which has been completed for this sub-project. The project includes a monitoring component aimed at continuously monitoring sea water quality in the area receiving the discharges, at controlling water quality and determining whether additional secondary and tertiary treatment may be required.
Environmental studies for other sub-projects have not yet been completed. It is a condition for disbursement for these sub-projects that such studies are carried out and that they are satisfactory to the Bank. A public consultation programme is under way, in accordance with Croatian requirements.
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