DESCRIPTION:

The project titled “Improvement in water and utility infrastructure in the territory of the Rijeka Agglomeration” is a strategic investment project of the Republic of Croatia, one of the largest in the implementation of water and utility directives in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, which realisation includes overall 120 subsystem projects and is envisaged to be implemented in the period from 2019, over 66 months.

PROJECT GOAL:

• reach European standards in municipal wastewater management
• increase the degree of protection of drinking water sources
• reduce the pollution of the sea and
• ensure good water quality, protect water and the ecosystems that depend on water owing to interventions on water and utility infrastructure in the area of the Rijeka agglomeration

ESTIMATED PROJECT VALUE AND FUNDING METHODS:

The total amount of funds earmarked for the realisation of this project is HRK 1,761,563,462.00, and will be co-financed by the European Union through the Operational Program “Competitiveness and Cohesion” for the period 2014-2020 in the amount of up to HRK 1,256,548,480.00, which makes up 71.33% of the costs. The remaining part in the amount of HRK 505,014,982.00, or 28.67%, will be provided from national funds for co-financing project costs, where the Republic of Croatia through the

Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy and the national entity for water management “Hrvatske vode” provide the same amount of funds, each party HRK 185,164,000.00, while the remaining HRK 134,687,000.00 of national funds will be provided by the utility company “Vodovod i kanalizacija” by a long-term financial loan.

PROJECT SCOPE:

Construction of a wastewater treatment plant on Delta
The construction of a new wastewater treatment plant on Delta, of a high second stage of purification, with biological processing of wastewater prior to its release into the sea and processing of sludge to the content of at least 90% of dry matter. The device will have a purification capacity for the load of the equivalent of 200,000 inhabitants.

Sewage system and water supply

The construction and reconstruction of about 217 kilometres of sewerage and 125 pumping stations, with simultaneous execution of works on approximately 100 kilometres of public water supply.

EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT:

The project envisages a rise in connections onto the public wastewater drainage system, optimised and improved functioning of the existing public sewerage system, as well as an increase in the quality of water supply.

The current connection of the population of the Rijeka agglomeration onto the public sewerage system will increase from 68% to about 92% by 2023. In the long-term period until 2028, an additional expansion of the drainage system is envisaged, which would enable connection for about 98% of the population.

Map of routes

Furthermore, this project, in addition to widening and upgrading the system, also envisages the reconstruction of the existing public sewerage system. The planned reconstruction will optimise the existing mixed systems, prevent negative effects of rain overflows in the sea in the city of Rijeka, solve the problem of sea entering in the sewage system, deposits in the main coastal mixed collectors parallel to the coast that have a very small fall, which reduces their flow, etc.

Troubleshooting of connection problems of the buildings that are below the level of the sewage collector is also envisaged by purchasing small local internal pumping stations.

Simultaneously with the works on the public sewerage system, parts of the public water supply system will be replaced in areas where it is impossible to perform works on the public sewerage system without damaging water supply pipelines. These replacements will reduce losses in the water supply system by about 8% and increase the quality of water supply to users. The losses are today within the acceptable limits and are significantly below the level of the average actual losses in water supply systems in Croatia.

Interventions by local self-government units

In the territory of the city of Rijeka, works take place in about 200 streets and will include about 82 kilometres of sewers and about 31 kilometres of the water supply system. Interventions on water and utility infrastructure will be performed in the town of Kastav on about 23 kilometres of sewers and 9 kilometres of water pipes, in the municipality of Viškovo on about 41 kilometres of sewers and 19 kilometres of water pipes, in the municipality of Čavle on about 28 kilometres of sewers and 17 kilometres of water pipes and in the municipality Jelenje on about 44 kilometres of sewers and 24 kilometres of water pipes. Part of the transport sewage collector will be constructed in the length of about 800 meters in the municipality of Matulje.

PROJECT REALISATION:

It is predicted in the period starting from 2019 over 66 months. The exact dynamics of the realisation of each part of this EU project will be known after the completion of the procurement procedure and works contracting.

The dynamics and phases of project implementation (execution of works) will be determined by:

• defined order of construction according to the functionality of the drainage system (upgrading in parts that can be put into operation after construction)
• alignment of the dynamic plan with the traffic concept of the single parts of the agglomeration
• alignment of the dynamic plan with the requirements of other public investments

Works for the reconstruction of Krešimir St. which include the construction of a new wastewater collector, water supply and other infrastructure, began on 24 June. The route of the works is 930 m long and includes two southern traffic lanes and stretches from the intersection with Blaž Polić St. to the intersection with Milutin Barač St., the works are performed by the Association of Bidders GP KRK; GODINA.