ISPA INFORMATION SHEET Measure No 2000 SI 16 P PE 004 Measure title Sustainable Water Supply of Trnovsko- Banjška Plateau in Slovenia Authority responsible for implementation Name: Central Finance and Contracting Unit, Ministry of Finance Address: Beethovnova 11, 1000 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA E-mail: [email protected] Description The Trnovsko-Banjška Plateau, situated in Western Slovenia, is one of the largest karst water- bearing areas in Slovenia. Its large karst wellsprings provide drinking water for Nova Gorica, Gorizia (Italy), the central Soča Valley, the Vipava Valley and Idrija. The plateau is a protected water area and forms part of the municipality of Ajdovščina, which has a population of ca. 17 600 inhabitants. The present measure mainly addresses the non-serviced population, the major part of which lives in thinly populated settlements. The measure consists of two components: A. Water Supply System a. Construction of the Gora-Highland Water Supply System At present, the drinking water is supplied from rain- and snow-water tapped in wells, water for cattle being provided by loam pools. In dry periods the drinking water is delivered by tank cars from the valley. The new supply system is to serve some 2 300 inhabitants who raise 700 heads of cattle. b. Reconstruction of the Hubelj Water Supply System The new supply system and associated water storage facilities is to replace the existing supply network for the lower areas of the Ajdovščina municipality which suffers health-adverse effects from its asbestos-cement pipes as well as losses from its bad condition B. Draining and treatment of wastewater a. Connection of most of the surrounding settlements to the Central wastewater treatment plant of Ajdovščina Three collectors totalling ca. 6 km will be build in order to connect (1) Budanje, Dolga Poljana and Žapuže, (2) Ustje and Dolenje and (3) Lokavec. b. Construction of a small wastewater treatment facility This new small-scale facility and 3.5 km of related sewer connections are to serve those settlements which will not be connected to the Central WWT P of Ajdovščina. 1 Estimated completion date of the measure: January 2005 Objectives The project aims at: – improving the protection of the water resources of Trnovsko-Banjška Plateau in terms of quantity and quality – providing drinking water in accordance with EC Directives – preserving the health conditions of the population concerned – assisting a higher standard of living thereby preserving the population in rural areas and contributing to economic development Economic and social cost-benefit analysis In addition to the benefits accruing from the measure and listed above, the measure entails the following economic benefits: – increased revenue from the water and wastewater fees; – reduced costs from not using alternative means of water supply (of water tanks, bottled water) – involvement of 31 direct jobs during the construction phase and 3 during the operational phase. Environmental Impact Analysis In accordance with the EIA directive 85/337(97/11), the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure is not required for this type of project. The designated environmental authority, which is the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, has reviewed the project and has declared that it is neither within nor adjacent to an environmentally sensitive area and will not have a significant negative effect on the environment. Cost and assistance (in €) Total cost Private Non eligible Total ISPA grant Grant Rate sector expenditure eligible cost % contribution (*) (**) 6 543 464 - 1 421 296 5 122 168 2 561 084 50 (*) Relates to planning and design fees, land purchase, tax and public levies (**) The other half of the measure’s cost is financed by the state (major part) and the municipality of Ajdovščina 2 .