ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF

PROJECT “Extension and Modernization of Water and

Wastewater Infrastructure in Dolj County”

a) The project contributes to the protection of water bodies by implementing the EU

Directive for Urban Waste Water Treatment (EU Directive 91/271 EEC) and by
ensuring an efficient and sustainable use of water resources as a result of the
reduction of technical water losses. Insofar the project respects the targets given by
the Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC).
The benefits and improvements resulted from the implementation of the project for
the wastewater system will be:
- Improvement of the environmental quality by reducing the negative impact on the
Desnatiu, Jiet, Jiu and Danube Rivers as a result of the new or rehabilitated WWTPs
proposed for the clusters / agglomerations of Calafat, Bechet, Filiasi, Bailesti (Rastu
Nou), Segarcea (Cerat);
- Improvement of the living standards for the population in project area in Dolj
County, by providing compliant potable water 24 h / day to 100% of the consumers
in the area and by ensuring the adequate collection and efficient treatment of
wastewater from the agglomerations included in the present project.
- Setting up efficient management of environmental services to be provided by the
Regional Operator SC Compania de Apa Oltenia SA, regional convergence and
reduction of further economic losses by implementing a medium and long term
investment programme designed to protect the water resources available in the Dolj
County, provide similar quality services to the consumers in the project area and
strengthen the capacity of local and county authorities to create and manage the water
and wastewater infrastructure;
- The rehabilitation and modernization of the existing WWTPs (Calafat, Filiasi) and
also the replacement of M&E equipment at the water source, within the DWTP
(Calafat) will help the climate changes by reducing the energy consume (in
accordance to Climate action and renewable energy package “20 20 by 2020,
Europe's climate change opportunity”);
- Utilise to the maximum any bio-gas generated from Craiova WWTP sludge
treatment facilities. Maximising their use will again contribute to a lower carbon
footprint.

b) The project respects the principles of preventive action as the major focus is on
the rehabilitation of sewers, reducing the risk of pollution (by ex-filtration to the
groundwater) and unreasonable drainage (infiltration to the sewer). Reduction of
infiltration reduces also dilution of waste water enabling more efficient waste water
treatment.
The project will also contribute to:
- Reducing the health risk for the population in the area, due to the rehabilitation and
extension of sewer networks, as well as the rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment
plants.
- Improving the water quality of Desnatiu, Jiet, Jiu and Danube Rivers. After the
project implementation, only treated wastewater will be discharged into the receiving
water course, reducing considerably the pollution loads discharged;
- Reducing the risk of pollution to groundwater aquifers and soil, due to exfiltration
from poor quality sewer networks through their proposed rehabilitation;
- Implementing an effective sludge disposal management. The sludge strategy to be
implemented by the ROC shall ensure that the sludge is suitably treated to comply
with European and Romanian regulations regarding the recycling of sludge for
agriculture use, combined with the phasing out of landfill disposal;
- Prevention of accidental pollution situations can and should be made, primarily
through the compliance of monitoring conditions of treatment plants, in order to
control the operating parameters through specific physical, chemical and biological
measurements;
- in terms of potential environmental damage in the execution phase, among the
constructor's responsibilities after the completion of construction works, will be the
reinstatement of the land to the original status.

c) The project respects the polluter pays principle. The Regional Operator Company
is already enforcing this principle by the use of new contracts, improved levels of
monitoring and the imposition of penalties where industries do not comply with
Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC and Urban Wastewater Treatment
91/271/EEC. In order to comply with European legislation transposed in the
Romanian environmental legislation, industries have already installed pre-treatment
units.
The localities included in the project area benefit from high metering rates and the
consumers to be connected to the extended networks shall be metered, because the
consumers themselves will want to maintain a tight control over the water
consumption and related costs in order to avoid the dissipation of resources (water,
energy, etc).