An EU-backed project has made substantial investments in water supply systems in Croatia's Zagreb County, the area surrounding the national capital, Zagreb within the Continental Croatia region. The project will merge existing subsystems into a single Zagreb-East regional water supply system, which should provide residents with good quality water in sufficient quantities. It will serve the towns of Dugo Selo, Ivanić Grad, Sveti Ivan Zelina and Vrbovec, and the municipalities of Bedenica, Brckovljani, Dubrava, Farkaševac, Gradec, Kloštar Ivanić, Križ, Preseka, Rakovec and Rugvica.
- 20 August 2018
In technical terms, the work under the project comprises the construction of a new water source in the form of a well, located at Kosnica and with a flow rate of 450 litres per second, and the laying of 27.7 km of new main transmission pipeline. The pipeline should address existing and forecasted water supply constraints.
Extension of the water supply and distribution infrastructure by 288.4 km will connect 8 934 households and 29 183 users to the network. Reconstruction of key sections of existing subsystems, of a total length of 108.2 km, will improve water supply services for 7 075 users.
As a result of the investments, average water losses from the network should drop from 29.2 % to 18.5%, while the connection rate to the system among local residents should increase from 63.5 % to 90.7 %.
Compliance with EU law
The main objective of the project is to ensure compliance with the EU Water Framework and Drinking Water Directives. Adopted in 2000, the Water Framework Directive responded to rising demand among citizens and environmental organisations for cleaner rivers, lakes, groundwater and beaches, and the need for a single piece of legislation to address water issues.
As well as streamlining legislation, the Directive introduces a water management system based on river basins - the natural hydrological unit - rather than political boundaries. It extends protection to all waters, surface waters and groundwater, with the aim of ensuring that they are all rated as 'good' in terms of aquatic ecology, habitats, and drinking and bathing water. Further objectives include better coordination of anti-pollution measures, appropriate pricing for water use and greater public participation in cleaning up water.
Rules for clean drinking water
In force since 1998, the Drinking Water Directive aims to ensure that water intended for human consumption is clean and safe. It lays down quality standards and requires national authorities to provide regular information to consumers and report to the European Commission every 3 years.
The Directive applies to distribution systems serving more than 50 people or supplying more than 10 m³ of water a day, smaller systems supplying water for economic reasons, drinking water from tankers and in bottles or containers, and water used in food processing.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project "Regional Water Supply System in Zagreb County - Zagreb East (RWS)" is EUR 116 300 701, with the EU's Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 63 678 138 through the "Competitiveness and Cohesion" Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.