The urban area of Herceg Novi municipality stretches out over a thin nearly continuous strip along the northern shore of the Boka Kotorska. Out of the total permanent municipal population of 32,000, about 26,000 live inside the urban area, whereas the remainder is spread out thinly over small villages on the mountain slopes and the Lutica peninsula. Tourism is important in Herceg Novi, adding some 39,000 people to its population in the peak holiday season. Industry is of relatively low importance, with a small industrial (or rather storage) zone in Zelenika and the shipyard in Bijela.
The town of Herceg Novi has a piped sewerage system, which is in a reasonably good condition and provides almost full coverage of the urban area of the town itself. Wastewaters are collected through the coastal collector reaching from Igalo to Meljine. Beyond Meljine towards Kamenari (Rivijera) sewage is disposed through numerous small sewerage networks with short and shallow sea outfalls. This greatly endangers the bacteriological water quality near the coast, where bathing activities take place. The percentage of service connections in these areas is relatively low and estimated at less than 20%. Bathing water quality in many beaches does not meet the relevant national and international standards.
The long-term aim is to provide all settlements along the Boka Kotorska with piped sewerage with sewage treated and discharged to the sea in an environmentally acceptable way that meets the relevant national and international legislation requirements. Herceg Novi will have the main sewerage collector which will convey all sewage midway along the coast. The main collector will serve secondary sewerage network in each of the coastal settlements.
The aim of the project is to build sewerage networks and WWTP in accordance with Council Directive 91/271/EEC, and thus prevent waste water discharge into the Adriatic Sea. Construction of a wastewater treatment plant for 65,300 PE and of a part of the sewerage network is in progress. Sources of funding: KfW banks loan and Government of Montenegro.
In order to achieve the aim, it is necessary to continue the development of the sewerage system including the following activities:
- Connect Sutorina and Njivice settlements to the main sewer line by 2020
- Continue development of sewerage network in the settlements where sewerage network is not constructed, separate sewerage and storm sewer
- Eliminate sea outfalls.
If determined appropriate, enable wastewater treatment in camp settlements by applying eco remediation measures.
Implementation of the project contributes to the improvement of human health and of the marine environment and will also have a direct impact on tourism and therefore on employment. The proposed project is in line with the strategic documents that were adopted by the Government of Montenegro: the 2005-2029 Master Plan for Wastewater Treatment and Disposal for the Montenegrin Coast and the Municipality of Cetinje (2005) and Ecoremediation Strategy for Montenegro with its 2014-2020 Action Plan.