E- 305 Public Disclosure Authorized DRAFT MINISTRY OF ENERGY Public Disclosure Authorized TEHRAN SEWERAGE COMPANY TEHRAN SEWERAGE PROJECT EnvironmentalAssessment Main Report Public Disclosure Authorized September 1999 Acer Iran Ray-Ab Consulting Engineers Douglas House No. 75 West Farzan Street Douglas Street Africa Expressway Westminister Tehran 19688 London SWIP 4PB Islamic Republic of Iran United Kingdom Public Disclosure Authorized a TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION I 1.1 Terms of Reference I 1.2 Objectives of the Environmental Assessment I 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2 2.1 Outline of the Project 2 2.2 Project Objectives 3 2.3 Sewerage and Sewage Transport 3 2.4 The Southern Sewage Treatment Plant 6 2.5 Effluent Reuse in Agriculture I1 2.6 Effluent Reuse by Groundwater Recharge 15 2.7 Sludge Transport 15 2.8 Sludge Use in Agriculture 15 2.9 Pre-construction Activities 16 2.10 Construction Activities 17 3.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 19 3.1 Geographical Environment 19 3.2 Social and Economic Environment 21 3.3 Cultural Environment 23 3.4 Surface Water and Wastewater 24 3.5 Hvdrogeology 33 -3.6 Agriculture in the Varamin Plain 37 3.7 Health 41 3.8 Climate 43 3.9 Biological Environment 45 3.10 Other Developments 48 ii 4.0 ORGANIZATION. LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS 50 4.1 Background 50 4.2 Organizational Structure 50 4.3 Existing Legislative and Regulatory Controls 54 5.0 POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT 62 5.1 Impacts on the Geographical Environment 62 5.2 Impacts on the Social and Economic environment 66 5.3 Impacts on the Cultural Environment 69 5.4 Impacts on Surface Waters 70 5.5 Impacts on the Hydrogeological Environment 71 5.6 Impacts on Agriculture 73 5.7 Impacts on Health 81 5.8 Impacts on Climate 87 5.9 Impacts on the Biological Environment 88 5.10 Impacts on Other Planned Developments . 89 5.11 Summary of Environmental Impact 90 6.0 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT 95 6.1 Option 1: No Project 95 6.2 Sewage Treatment Using Waste Stabilization Ponds 98 6.3 Sewage Treatment Using Aerated Lagoons 103 6.4 Sewaze Treatment Using Oxidation Ditches 106 6.5 Comparison of Sewage Treatment Process Alternatives 108 6.6 Water Conservation and Waste Minimization 110 7.0 MITIGATION MEASURES TO MINIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 112 7.1 Objectives of the Environmental Management Plan 112 7.2 Measures to Minimize Disturbance During Construction 113 7.3 Measures to Minimize Disturbance During Operation of the STP 115 7.4 Measures to Ensure the Health and Safetv of Workers and the Public 117 7.5 Employee Training and Working Conditions 118 iii 7.6 Measures to Ensure that the Objectives of the Project are Achieved 119 7.7 Environmental Monitoring 124 7.8 Finance 133 7.9 Environmental Management Plan 133 7.10 Implementation Schedule and Cost Estimates 138 8.0 IDENTIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONAL NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 141 8.1 Policies. Legislation and Standards 141 8.2 Overview of Responsibilities 142 8.3 Involvement of the TSC 144 8.4 Involvement of the DOE 145 8.5 Institutional Needs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Co-operation 146 8.6 Establishment of a Project Liaison Committee 146 8.7 Institutional Needs 149 9.0 STRATEGIC MONITORING PLAN 151 9.1 Objectives of the Strategic Monitoring, Plan 151 9.2 Strategic Monitoring by the Department of Environment 151 10.0 INTER-AGENCY CO-ORDINATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 153 10.1 Consultation with Other Governmental Agencies 153 10.2 Consultation with Non-Governmental Organizations 153 10.3 Other Consultations 155 10.4 Public Participation 156 11.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 157 12.0 LIST OF REFERENCES 160 13.0 LIST OF TEHRAN SEWERAGE PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PREPARERS iv 14.0 GLOSSARY 14.1 Local Terms 14.2 Abbreviations LIST OF TABLES 2.1 Basic Data for Tehran Southern Sewage Treatment Plant 6 2.2 Effluent Qualitv Standard 7 2.3 Water balance for the irrigation of 50.000 ha of the Varamin Plain 12 2.4 Proposed cropping patterns and water requirements for 50.000 ha development of Varamin irrigation area 14 3.1 Sources and quality of drinking water supplied in Tehran 27 3.2 Classification of Industries in Iran Based on the Nature of Effluents 28 3.3 The quality of settled sludge from the Firouzabad and Sorkhe Hessar canals 31 3.4 Water Quality of Sorkhe Hessar and Firouzabad Canals 32 3.5 Protected habitats near the project area 47 5.1 Project Costs 68 5.2 Projected Improvements in Crop Yields in the Varamin Irrigation Scheme 73 5.3 Predicted heavy metal concentrations in sludge to be utilized on the Varamin Plain 75 5.4 Average annual application rates of metals to soils of the Varamin Plain 77 5.5 Suitability of treated effluent as drinking water for livestock 79 5.6 Summarv of environmental impacts (Part A) 91 5.7 Summary of environmental impacts (Part B) 92 5.8 Summary of environmental impacts (Part C) 93 6.1 Summary of costs of not implementing the proposed project 97 6.2 Summary of Financial Analysis of Options in Sewage Treatment 108 6.3 Summary of Economic Analysis of Options in Sewage Treatment 109 7.1 List of industries which might still be located in project area at the time when Sewage Treatment Plant starts 122 7.2 Influent and Effluent Data for STP 125 7.3 Dust and Noise Monitoring Program 130 7.4 Treated Effluent Quality Monitoring Program 130 7.5 Treated Sludge Quality Monitoring Program 131 7.6 Odor and Noise Monitoring Program 131 7.7 Agricultural Soil Monitoring Program 131 7.8 Agricultural Produce Monitoring Program 132 v 7.9 Summarv of Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures-Construction 134 7.10 Summarv of Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures-STP Operation 135 8.1 Institutional Responsibilities 143 8.2 Training Program 150 LIST OF FIGURES 4.1 Draft orzanization structure of the Tehran Province Water and Sewerage Company 52 4.2 Organization chart for the EnvironmentalProtection Organization 55 APPENDIXA: LIST OF DRAWINGS EA/I First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment. Key Plan EAI2 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Municipality Regions EA/3 Second Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Key Plan EA/4 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Sewered Areas and Sewer Routes EA/5 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Main Sewers and Metro Crossing EA/6 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Qanat Routes' EA/7 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Surface Water Streams EA/8 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: GroundwaterContours (1988 Survey) EA/9 First Stage EnvironmentalAssessment: Isonitrate Contours of Underground Water EA/I I Southem Sewage TreatmentPlant Site Location (Shahr-e-Rev) EA/l 2 Southem Sewage TreatmentPlant Layout EA/I 3 GeologicalMap of the Study Areas EA/14 Soil Classification Map EA/15 Topography of the Varamin Plain EA/I6 National Parks and Protected Areas (Environmental Protection Organizationof Iran) EA/I 7 Varamin Plain Irrigation Areas EA/I 8 Main Irrigation Canals of the Varamin Plain EA/19 Topography of the Varamin Plain APPENDIXB: IRANIANENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS APPENDIXC: DATAON INFLUENTAND EFFLUENTQUALITY FROM SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS APPENDIXD: NOTESFROM PUBLIC MEETING AND LABORATORYEQUIPMENT & STAFFING vi 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Terms of Reference 1.1. 1 The Terms of Reference for this studyvare presented in Annex 6 issued bv The World Bank entitled "Environmental Assessment of Proposed Sewerage Project and Effluent Re-use" dated 26 August 1991. 1.1.2 In preparing this Environmental Assessment. reference has been made to. the requirements of The World Bank Operational Directive OD4.01. of October 1991 entitled "Environmental Assessment. "Environmental Assessment of the Investment Projects and Programme. Scope and Process" by J.A.N. Wallis. published by the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank in December 1989, and "Environmental Assessment Sourcebook" published by the Worid Bank Environment Department (Technical Papers 139, 140 and 154) in 1991. 1.1.3 This report does not cover the construction of the factories for the manufacture of the pipes necessary for the Tehran Sewerage Project. or the supply of raw materials for the factories. The Executive Summary of this environmental assessment report is published as a separate document. 1.2 Objectives of the Environmental Assessment 1.2.1 The objective of this environmental assessment is to identify negative environmental effects, if any, of the proposed project, and to recommend mitigative measures to address such concerns. It is a component of the Project Feasibility Study required for appraisal by the World Bank. This report accompanies and draws upon the "Review of Sewage Treatment Process Alternatives" draft report issued by Acer John Taylor and Ray-Ab Consulting Engineers in June 1992 which provides technical details and a cost assessment of the proposed project. 2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2. I Outline of the Project 2.1.1 For the purposes of the Environmental Assessment (EA), the Project Area is defined as the northern and southern parts of the City of Tehran (including Shahr-e-Rev) with a canal to Varamin Plain. Drawing EA/I shows the relative locations of Tehran and the Varamin Plain. 2.1.2 Tehran comprisesof 20 Municipalitv regions with a total population of about 8 million, as shown on DrawingEA/2. 2.1.3 The Master Plan for Sewage Management proposes that sewage from Tehran be conveyed by a sewerage svstem to two sewage treatment plants (STPs). one to the south of the City and the other to the west of the City. Drawing EA/3 shows the main trunk sewers and the locations of the two treatment plants. 2.1.4 The Plan has been divided into two stages.