Ulcinj municipality the most south-eastern municipality on the Montenegrin Adriatic coast. Ulcinj has a warm climate and the highest number of sunny days among the coastal municipalities. The municipality has 30 km of Adriatic coastline and the Bojana River goes through the municipality and flows into the sea. Ulcinj wastewater network (48 km) covers 75% of the urban population. The network is obsolete and four pumping stations are very old and in bad condition. There is no WWTP and untreated water is discharged into the Port Milena channel and hence, into the Adriatic Sea. The main sub-marine outfalls were constructed in the 1980s. Wastewater from several hotels is discharged into the Port Milena channel, thus polluting bathing water.
Clean-up and rehabilitation of Port Milena channel enables reduction of pollution over a short period of time. The construction of sewerage network and treatment plant will provide for the reduction of pollution and protection of the Adriatic Sea in the long run.
The aim of the project is to meet the requirements of Council Directive 91/271/EEC, build sewerage network and WWTP and thus prevent waste water discharge into the Adriatic Sea and the Port Milena channel.
The proposed project is related to the implementation of the NAP measure on improvement of the sewerage network and construction of the WWTP in municipality Ulcinj and remediation of the Port Milena channel. Thus, its implementation will highly contribute to decreasing the depollution potential through improvement of the public utility infrastructure in this part of the coastal area. The aim is to achieve targets defined in the Directive 271/91/EEC according to which parameters cannot exceed specified values at the outfall.
Feasibility study Water Supply and Wastewater Discharge in Ulcinj" (2013) was developed for purposes of improving the wastewater system in Ulcinj. It includes a detailed analysis of:
- the existing system,
- proposed investment measures,
- necessary rehabilitation and extension measures,
- prioritization of measures,
- design criteria,
- return ratio,
- technical design and alternative options,
- estimate of cost and O & M costs,
- implementation schedule,
- financial analysis,
- sewage sludge disposal strategies, etc.
In accordance with the situation presented above, the project has been assessed as sustainable.
Implementation of the project contributes to the improvement of human health and the marine environment. The project 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 Eco-remediation Strategy for Montenegro with its 2014-2020 Action Plan.