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This project was identified and designed through consultations over a period of some 10 months between the partners. The consultations took place in the context of the ENPI CBC Joint Operational Programme (JOP) Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova 2007-2013, which provides the framework for the implementation of cross border activities in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy. In particular, it addresses the call for proposals under JOP Priority 2 on environmental challenges and emergency preparedness, supporting long term solutions to the environmental problems faced by the border areas, particularly those associated with environmental emergencies where a co-coordinated approach is essential. The design was further driven by national and international legal obligations for preventing pollution of soils and waters.

The project will be managed by the Applicant which will set up a professionally-staffed Project Implementation Unit to undertake the day-to-day administration, coordination and reporting requirements. The responsibility for implementing individual project activities has been delegated to the Partners, as described below.

A Project Steering Committee (PSC) will be established for the overall coordination and guidance on project implementation from the onset of the project. The PSC will be chaired by Odessa State Department for Environmental Protection, and all the project partners in Ukraine, Moldova and Romania will be members of it. In addition, a representative of the JMA will be invited to participate.

The PSC will meet at least every four months during the lifetime of the project and be responsible for evaluating the implementation of the project, and ensuring achievement of the planned project results according to these criteria:
• Degree to which national and international environmental protection obligations are met;
• Environmental benefits;
• Degree of capacity building achieved;
• Cost-effectiveness;
• Socio-economic benefits and stakeholder engagement; and
• Sustainability of the project outcomes.

The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will be responsible for the organisation and management of the PSC meetings and will act as secretary to the PSC. In this regard, the PIU will:
• Distribute the agenda and supporting documents well in advance of meetings;
• Organise travel and accommodation for participants as required;
• Send reminders to participants before meetings;
• Prepare and distribute minutes on discussions and decisions made, within five working days of the meeting

The PIU will be based in Odessa, supported by partner offices in Chisinau and Galati. It will have as a minimum the following staff capacity:
• Director
• Financial Manager
• Procurement Manager
• Environmental Management Expert
• Administrative Assistant
• Driver

Each of the partners in the project has specific expertise related to the project requirements in their respective countries and have contributed to the identification and design of the project. They will play an active part in its implementation. Each of the project activities will be coordinated by one of the partners, and other partners will contribute as appropriate.

This project will lay the basis for cross-border cooperation in the Lower Danube region for identifying significant land-based sources of pollution, improved monitoring of them, sharing information about them, and developing a strategy for reducing or eliminating their impacts. As the three countries concerned share the Danube River as a single hydrological unit, pollution in one part can quickly impact others, so it is in the interest of all partners to cooperate closely in this project.

In addition, investment will be made in a WWT system for Vylkove in Ukraine, a major tourism destination situated in the northern part of the Danube Delta and a significant source of organic pollution in the river. The project builds on a number of previous Phare and Tacis projects that were undertaken in the region over the last 15 years as part of the wider Danube Basin Pollution Reduction Programme (now incorporated in the Danube River Protection Convention), but which were focused on the individual country concerned.

During the course of the project, at least five reports will be published concerning the sources of soil and water pollution (including hazardous waste storage sites) in the Lower Danube region, a risk assessment of these sources, and a cross-border strategy for dealing with potential risks and emergencies from the pollution sources identified.

The overall objective of the project is to reduce the environmental impact of chemical dumps and wastewater discharges in the Lower Danube region as well as enhance environmental monitoring of soil and water pollution and make the information publicly available.

The specific aims are:
• To improve knowledge of the current state of chemical dumps and wastewater discharges in the Lower Danube region and establish priorities on how to reduce or eliminate them;
• To reduce pollution of the Danube from wastewater discharges; and
• To increase public awareness about sources of soil and water pollution

The four components of the project are
1 Inventory and assessment of sources of pollution affecting land and waters
2 Wastewater treatment infrastructure
3 Long term monitoring and risk assessment of pollution sources
4 Public Information Service on Pollution Sources

The project will deliver the following improvements for the inventory, assessment and remediation of anthropogenic sources of pollution in the Lower Danube Region of Ukraine, Romania and the Republic of Moldova:
• GIS created of sources and types of soil and water pollution in the Lower Danube region;
• WWT facilities established in Vilkovo, capable of treating 900 m3 / day, expanding the coverage from 1,200 to about 8,200 people;
• Equipment for monitoring and reducing pollution procured, installed and operational;
• Regional Centre for Ecological Studies set up in Odessa;
• Design of a Centre for Management of Hazardous Waste in Chisinau;
• Risk assessment undertaken for sources of soil and water pollution in the project area;
• Cross-border strategy for remediation of high risk sources of pollution formulated and put in place;
• Public Information Service web site operational;
• At least 400 stakeholders participated in project workshops, seminars and conferences, raising awareness concerning issues of soil and water pollution.

4.1 Establishment of Public Information Service on pollution sources in the Lower Danube region Leader Partner: UkrSCES Other involved partners: ACTEDJ, ECCG This Task involves the design by UkrSCES of a multilingual public web portal using an Interactive Mapping Service based on the project GIS. It will contain all relevant information from the project partners on wastewater discharges, toxic chemical storage sites and results from monitoring. In particular, the portal will • develop tools for export / import of data sets;

3.1 Establishment of a Regional Centre for Ecological Studies in Odessa Leader Partner: OSDEP Other involved partners: ACTEDJ, ECCG In order to implement the recommendations from the site-specific and regional assessment of pollution risks in general, as well as the plan for remediation of priority sites described above in particular, OSDEP will establish a specialised Regional Centre for Ecological Studies. The Centre will utilise and coordinate existing resources available in various institutions based in Odessa oblast, rather than being created as a stand-alone entity.

2.1 Construction and renovation of wastewater treatment infrastructure in Vylkove Leader Partner: OSDEP Other involved partners: n/a

1.1 Inventory of chemical storage sites and sources of water pollution Leader Partner: UkrSCES Other involved partners: ECCG, DDBRA, EPPO