Sewerage Board of Nicosia

Service for preparation of conceptual and detailed designs for priority projects on water and wastewater management in northern part of Cyprus Contract No 2008 / 149-039 DRAFT FINAL Planning Report No 11 – Investment Project R1 – December 2008 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP

Planning Report No 11

Investment Project R1

EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall IImmppaacctt AAsssseessssmmeenntt SSttuuddyy ffoorr tthhee

nneeww MMiiaa MMiilliiaa//HHaassppoollaatt WWWWTTPP

FINAL REPORT

FICHTNER - Heinrich Sarweystrasse 3 70191 Stuttgart • Germany Phone: + 49 - 7 11 - 89 95 - 0 Fax: + 49 - 7 11 - 89 95 - 459 Please contact : Lutz-Erich Scholz Telephone : +090 3 92 2 29 05-21/-23 E-mail : [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


2

Contents

ANNEXES ANNEX I – Technical Drawings of the new WWTP Mia Milia/Haspolat


3

Abbreviations ABN Advanced Biological Nutrient Removal BNR Biological Nutrient Removal BOD Biological oxygen demand CAS Conventional Activated Sludge Treatment CHP Combined Heat Power Unit COD Chemical oxygen demand DG Directorate General (EC) DN Diameter Nominal DS Dry Solids EC European Commission EEC European Economic Community EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPA Environmental Protection Agency (US) EU European Union GMD Geology and Mines Department GRP Glass reinforced pipes HDPE High Density Polyethylene LIP Long Term Investments Project MBR Membrane Bio Reactor MF Membrane Filtration MLSS Mixed Liquid Suspended Solids N Nitrogen O&M Operation & Maintenance P Phosphorus PE Population Equivalent PLC Programmable Logic Control PRAG Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions PS Pumping station PVC Polyvinylchloride RO Reverse Osmosis SBN Sewerage Board of Nicosia SBR Sequence Batch Reactor SoW Scope of Work SS Suspended Solids TCc Turkish Cypriot community TCNSD Turkish Municipality of Nicosia – Sewage Department TE Treated effluents TF Tertiary Filtration TKN Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen ToR Terms of Reference TSE Treated Sewerage Effluent TSS Total Suspended Solids UF Ultra Filtration VMLSS Volatile Mixed Liquid Suspended Solids WSS Water Supply and Sanitation WW Waste water WWTP Waste water treatment plant


4

INTRODUCTION The EU Project EuropeAid/125028/D/SER/CY concerns implementation of the Service Con-tract for the PREPARATION OF CONCEPTUAL AND DETAILED DESIGNS FOR PRIORITY PROJECTS ON WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHERN PART OF CYPRUS one of the specific measures undertaken by Cyprus to comply with the Acquis Communautaire.

Contracting Authority for the Project is the European Commission (Directorate General – Enlargement - A.3 – Task Force Turkish Cypriot Community).

Project commencement date was 19.03.2008. The project duration is 12 months until 19.03.2009. EU-contract number is 2008 / 149-039.

This project has high priority, considering its aim to improve the current situation, where defi-cient urban wastewater infrastructure causes major health and environmental risks. The need to construct a new waste water treatment plant (hereafter called as WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat has long been established due to the serious problems of the existing plant. It has the complexity of a bi-communal project which has to be financed and administered by both communities jointly as one project. The Direct Beneficiaries of the above mentioned in-frastructure investment will be the inhabitants of the greater area of Nicosia.

According to the provisions stipulated in the ToR, the Consultant had originally to elaborate two investment projects which are specified in the following:

a) Retention of the existing plant at Mia Milia/Haspolat but with the addition of a reception facility for tankered sewage delivered by road to the site

b) The development of a new WWTP (incorporating a tanker reception facility)

Part a) of above stated tasks has been canceled due to environmental concerns. Any addi-tional load directed to the existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP would further contribute to the operational overloading of the plant. A deterioration of the effluent quality and an increased odour emissions would have been unavoidable.

In consequence though, of the actual capacity overload of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the forecasted growth in the respective catchment area within the next 15 years, the construction and commissioning of a new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat is planned and given high priority. Furthermore, it will be required to construct a new trunk sewer from Alakoy/Gerolakkos (via Gonyeli) to Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site.

These measures will lead to a massive environmental improvement of the waste water col-lection and treatment which are currently partly served by the existing sewer network and the existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. The new trunk sewer will contribute to the improvement of the overall sanitary situation in Nicosia by connecting new areas to the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP.

The new Milia/Haspolat WWTP will produce a high quality effluent which may be used pri-mary for irrigation. Also a direct discharge of the treated effluent to the Pedhieos river in times of low TSE demand for irrigation is an option. The quality of the TSE will be in any case compliant with the applicable standards for unrestricted irrigation and any discharge of TSE will have a positive impact to the environment.


5

Provisions are planed to upgrade the WWTP by a RO plant in order to reduce the salinity of the TSE if required further in future. Otherwise, planed measures in the drinking water supply system shall ensure that the salinity in the waste water will be reduced in the future. Conse-quently the foreseen precautions for a treatment upgrade of the WWTP will be most probably not required.

The present Planning Report No 11 – Project R1 covers and presents the findings of the

Environmental Impact Assessment Study (hereafter called as EIA) only for the planned new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP as per ToR. The EIA has been undertaken in accordance with the EIA Directive 85/337/EEC which was adopted in 1985 and amended in 1997 by means of Di-rective 97/11/EC. The EIA Directive requires that before consent is given, projects likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue, inter alia, of their nature, size and loca-tion are to be made subject to a requirement for development approval and detailed assess-ment with regard to their effects, as well as the most favourable alternatives.

The EIA Directive lists and distinguishes between projects which are always made subject to an assessment (Article 4(1), that is the so-called Annex I projects) and those for which the Member States are to determine through a case-to case examination or criteria whether the project shall make the object of an assessment or not (Article 4(2), that is the so-called An-nex II projects). Also, in the 1997 Directive there is a more detailed description of the projects listed in Annexes I and II, Annex III in the 1985 Directive becomes Annex IV and is replaced by a general overview of the relevant criteria to be considered by each Member State when deciding whether and Annex II project requires an assessment or not.

Based on the above, the investment project related to the WWTP in Mia Milia/Haspolat re-quires the preparation of a comprehensive EIA Report as per Article 4(1) of the EU Directive 97/11/EC touching issues on various alternatives, evidence of public consultation and social acceptability, direct and indirect impacts.

The objectives of the comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report, for the investment project of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat, is to ensure that all environmental consequences due to developing and operating the investment project are evaluated, and measures that will mitigate possible environmental effects are proposed for inclusion in the final designs. The target of this EIA is to ensure proper planning and implementation of the proposed investment project in a sustainable manner, thus minimizing the potential negative impact to the environment, arising from such activities. Additionally, the fundamental aim objective of this assessment is to provide a means whereby the overall environmental performance of the project can be enhanced through identification and evaluation of the potential impacts. It is attempted to identify and discuss key potentially beneficial as well as adverse impacts on physical, biological and socio-economic environment associated with the project pre-construction, construction, and operation phases. Within the scope of the EIA, the study area has been visited, photographed and older studies were reviewed and meetings with stakeholders and various related departments were held in order to collect baseline information related to the following aspects:

- Topography of the general area. - Natural characteristics. - Terrestrial characteristics. - Land use and Town planning characteristics. - Land flora and fauna.


6

The results and conclusions for the site visits, regarding the main environmental characteris-tics of the general study area are presented in the following paragraphs.


7

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

1.1 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT The scope of the project defined as Stage 1 includes the construction, commissioning and operation of a new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat which will be designed to serve up to 269.114 inhabitants with the design horizon year, 2025. In order to avoid extensive capacity surcharge for the consumer for unused capacity, staged implementation of the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is suggested. In Stage1 of the implementation, a capacity of 30,000 m3/day with all structures and buildings to be designed for the final required capacity, shall be established, which shall be increased to the final capacity in the second implementation stage, to reach the final capacity of 45,000 m3/day. At the second stage, the treatment facili-ties will be extended by about 50% and supply and installation of additional required equip-ment will be implemented to increase the capacity as defined . The timing for the second implementation stage shall be linked to the effective scheduled WW flow, supported by the respective investment schedules in the required network facilities.

Septage from unsewered areas in Nicosia will be delivered to the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat for treatment together with the wastewater from the served areas. The aim is to connect all customers finally to the sewerage network. The treatment of septage in the WWTP is necessary because untreated septage should not be disposed on solid waste-dumping site, where this septage would create large amounts of heavily polluted leakage. As there are preferences for the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant, as Membrane technol-ogy has developed essentially within the last couple of years and represents today, state-of-the-art technology for wastewater treatment, it has been proposed to design the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat as MBR plant with advanced biological nutrient removal (ABNR).

Detailed descriptions of all elements of the project during construction and operational phases have been prepared. These elements are analyzed in the following sections of the EIA Report taking into account the infrastructures of the project including waste collection, disposal and management.

1.2 STUDY AREA Mia Milia/Haspolat area is located north-east of Nicosia area. The existing WWTP is located at the proposed location of the new WWTP. The proposed WWTP is located approximately 1,5 Kilometers south-east of the centre of the village, approximately 1,2 Kilometers east from the industrial area and about 2.5 Kilometres north-east from Nicosia (Kaimakli-Palouriotissa areas). The proposed location is on the land parcel that is currently used for the existing WWTP lagoon system and is almost adjacent to the south bank of Pedhieos River. The land available for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat has already been acquired1. The area of the whole land available is approximately in the order of 60,000 square meters. In 2008, the Nicosia Master Plan has been revised. The zoning and land use projections were developed based on the land use functions at that time. The Master Plan shows the zones and areas allocated for different use/ purpose. The Master Plan covers also other ar-eas in addition to central and surrounding Nicosia. The Nicosia Master Plan foresees a new WWTP construction at the current location of the plant but a bigger parcel is allocated for this purpose. The proposed location of new WWTP is suitable (1) firstly, because of the existence

1 New Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP Complementary Analysis- Louis Berger Group / Michael Iordanou and Associates, January 2007


8

of treatment plant and on-going treatment operations (2) secondly, the subject area is allo-cated for wastewater treatment plant in the 2008 revised version of Nicosia Master Plan. Map 1-1 and Picture 1-1 that follow indicate the revised Nicosia Master Plan 2008 and the general view of the study area at Mia Milia/Haspolat, respectively. Map 1-2 and Map 1-3 represent the cadastral maps which indicate the the whole land that belongs to the SBN and the land available for renovation, respectively.


9

Map 1-1: Nicosia Master Plan, Revision 2008

Land available for renova-tion/Proposed site for new WWTP

Red dashed line indicates the boundaries of land that belongs to the SBN


Picture 1-1: General View of the Study Area

Mia Milia/Haspolat/ Village

10

Existing WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat

Mia Milia Industrial Area

Proposed site for new WWTP

South bank of Pedhieos River

Nicosia Town (Aglantzia & Kaimakli Areas)


11

Map 1-2: Cadastral Map of the Study Area – Available/Unavailable

Land Owner - SBN


12

Map 1-3: Cadastral Map of the Study Area – Available Land for renovation


13

1.3 LAND USE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROJECT The land available for the implementation of this project is approximately in the order of 60,000sq.m as indicated on Map 1-2 above. 1.4 PHYSICAL FORM OF THE PROJECT 1.4.1 LAYOUT The design solution for Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP shall consist of the following key components: 1. Interconnecting pipe work from the existing sewer termination point to the new Inlet fa-

cilities 2. Inlet facilities including inlet pumping station, screening & grit, oil and grease removal fa-

cilities; 3. Tanker discharge station; 4. Activated sludge treatment facilities designed for advanced BNR based on MBR 5. Digester for sludge stabilization incl. CHP unit 6. Sludge thickening and dewatering units; 7. Final Effluent disinfection facility; 8. Auxiliary / miscellaneous facilities and structures; 9. TSE pumping station; and 10. TSE filling station for tankers. Figure 1-1 below, presents the general site layout (for Stage 2) of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. Drawings for the main facilities and a technological scheme are presented in Annex I.


Figure 1-1: General Layout Plan of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat

14


15

1.4.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW WWTP COMPONENTS AND MAIN PROCESSES 2 1.4.2.1 DESIGN CRITERIA The new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP will be designed to serve up to 269.115 inhabitants for stage 1 (2025). In the following, the major design data is presented.

• population equivalent for design of treatment block 269,1153 • population equivalent for design of residual facilities: 269,115 • sludge stabilisation: anaerobic, Biogas utilization with CHP unit • type of de-nitrification: intermittent • type of phosphorus removal: EBPR / Chemical precipitation with e.g. Fe III • type of aeration basin: rectangular basin • plant configuration: 2 independent treatment trains • sludge thickening: mechanical • sludge dewatering: mechanical

Table 1-1 describes the characteristics of the existing wastewater, while Table 1-2 indicates the design values for the TSE effluent quality of the treatment system for Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP.

Table 1-1: Mia Milia/Haspolat Waste Water Load – Influent Quality

WW Load

Parameter Value [g/inh.day]

Concentration [mg/ l]


According per capita calcula-

tion] 3)

According pro-vided Analyses

1) Design values

[mg/l]2)3)

BOD5 60 538 490..675 538 COD 134 1.202 908..1275 1202 TSS 70 628 365..424 628 TKN 13,4 120 88..123,5 120 TP 2,8 25 16,6..18,7 25

1) Row Sewerage characteristics existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – 2007 2) mean values 3) based on a WW flow of 111 l/capita.day

2 Service for Preparation of Conceptual and Detailed Design for Priority Projects on Water and Waste Water Management in North-ern Part of Cyprus Contract N° 2008/149-039 - Final Planning Report N° 7- Part 1: Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – December 2008, FICHTNER-HEINRICH 3 Including 5% surcharge for industry


16

Table 1-2: Design values for TSE

Minimum Treatment Requirements for Waste Water

TSE Standards for agriculture unre-

stricted use and dis-charge to sea-sensitive area

Discharge to sensi-tive area

Design Values for Mia Milia WWTP

WHO Shell-

Fish (EU)Bathing

(EU) Reuse Item No.

Quality Parameters Unit

GCC Standard

Max Max Max Average 1 PH 7-9 6-9 2 Turbidity NTU ≤ 3 3 3 TDS mg/l 450 4 TSS mg/l ≤ 10 50 5 5 BOD mg/l ≤ 10 25 5 6 COD mg/l ≤ 30 125 60 17 Total Nitrogen -N mg/l 5 10 10 21 Chlorine residual mg/l 1 23 Total phosphate mg/l 1 1 25 Aluminium mg/l 5 26 Copper mg/l 0,2 27 Iron mg/l 5 28 Nickel mg/l 0,2 29 Lead mg/l 5 30 Cadmium mg/l 0,01 31 Zinc mg/l 2 32 Chromium mg/l 0,1 46 Molybdenum mg/l 0,01 47 Boron mg/l 0,7 48 Arsenic mg/l 0,1

49 Fecal Coliform (E.COLI)

count/100ml

≤ 5* ≤ 15 max 100

≤ 5* ≤ 15 max

50 Helminth eggs egg/L <0.1/1000ml nil

51 Parasitic Helminth worms worm/L nil nil

* These values must not be exceeded in 80% of samples per month.


17

1.4.2.2 INLET FACILITIES, SCREENING & GRIT REMOVAL FACILITIES The Plant is fed by one (in future two) gravity inlet pipes DN1100 and a planed new pipe with an approximate diameter DN 1000. A new connection trunk sewer main shall be constructed from the existing diversion chamber to the new Mia Milia WWTP inlet works. The inlet trunk sewer shall be connected to a new inlet pumping station. The maximum peak flow factor was calculated with 1,65. The inlet pumping station shall be designed for at least 130 % of the hourly peak flow. From the inlet pumping station the wastewater shall flow in a new channel towards the screening facilities. The inflow channel and the connected channels shall be designed to avoid settling of solids. Additional quantities for sludge water, drainage water, etc. shall be considered accordingly for the detailed design. The conceptual design proposes to construct the screening facilities and the grit chamber com-pletely new and to house them in one building to avoid operation problems during winter time. Screens are an essential component of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. All coarse materials like textiles, paper, glass, sticks, cans etc. are removed. The screens protect the equipment of the biological treatment, the sludge dewatering centrifuges and the pumps against damages.

The screening and grit removal shall be constructed in two lines. All screening lines are equipped with one fine screen (bar spacing 3..6 mm). After the screening the flow will be divided in two lines to the two grit traps. Optional a septage acceptance station shall be installed in this building as well as the handling devices for residuals.

Screw conveyors will discharge the screenings into containers which shall be transported to the municipal solid waste dumping site where the screenings can be disposed together with house-hold refuse.

In the screening building three fine screens (two in duty one stand by) providing a capacity of 3 x 50 % of the required design capacity (automatically cleaned bar screen type) shall be installed. For the emergency case an emergency by-pass equipped with a hand raked coarse screen will be available.

For the dimensioning of the screening plant a maximum flow of 520 l/sec has to be considered.

A. Inlet Chamber The wastewater arrives in one (in future two) gravity sewer pipes DN 1100 to the plant. The inlet pipe at the existing diversion chamber of the Mia Milia WWTP has the following charac-teristics:


18

Table 1-3: Inlet pipe characteristics

Item Dimension Nos Material

1 1100 mm 1 + 1(future extension) AC (at future connection

point) A new connection trunk sewer main shall be constructed from the existing diversion chamber to the new Mia Milia WWTP inlet works. The proposed material for the new trunk sewer is GRP. B. Coarse Screens For the dimensioning of the screening plant a maximum flow of at least 2.851 m³/h + 30 % re-serve capacity has to be considered. The screens shall be specified as follows: Main Screens

• Installation in open channel; • Automatic Fine Screen; • Bar Spacing: 6 mm; • Automatic cleaned Screen Type; • Not be affected by grease, chipping sundries and grits; • The screen shall be able to run continuously 24 hours each day; • Running noise less than 65 dB(A); • Most up-to-date technology; • Operation shall be automatically, both by water level difference measurement and by

time intervals; and • Screenings minimum 15 l/PE.a.

Screening Wash Press A screening wash press shall be installed in order to reduce the screening amounts. Container Four (two duty) Containers shall be provided for the screenings and four (two duty) containers for the sand. All screening equipment shall be installed in a screening building which has to be connected to the odour treatment unit.

C. Aerated Grit Chamber combined with Grease and Fat removal Sand, oil and fat removal will be achieved in two longitudinal aerated grit traps with adjacent oil and fat removal facility. The grit traps shall be designed with a capacity of 100% of the maximum hourly inflow. The aeration shall be provided by a compressor to keep the organic components floating in the wastewater and to achieve grit settlement in the bottom. Settled grit shall be removed by means of pumps mounted on longitudinal travelling scrapers. The mixture of water and sand will be conveyed to the sand classifier and washer, where the mixture will be finally treated before being


19

disposed off. The wastewater from this process will be evacuated in the channel behind the grit chamber. Oil and fat shall be also removed by the scraper and collected in a sufficiently dimen-sioned chamber. Discharge and final disposal shall be made by tankers. Alternatively, a direct feed to the anaerobe digester might be chosen. The classifier, the grid traps and containers shall be placed in a closed building. The air from this building will be extracted and treated in the odour-filter.

Grease and fat removal are achieved by flotation in an adjacent chamber in the combined grid chamber. The chamber is separated by a scumboard from the inner tank. Grease and fat are removed from the surface and moves it into a sump from where it flows by gravity into a fat/oil storage tank/Container. Fat, oil and grease are floating on the water. Surplus water can be drawn from this tank/container and is pumped back to the inlet of the grit chamber. Separated fat, oil, and grease must be removed periodically by a vacuum septage removal truck. The dimensioning of the grit chamber is based on the peak weather flow of 2.851 m³/h for the year 2025. For effective sand separation, 90% of grain size 0.2 mm shall be separated. The grit shall be free of organic material (less than 5%) and shall be deposited into a container. The grit chambers shall be covered by GRP covers and equipped with a ventilation system which has to be connected to the odour treatment system. 1.4.2.3 TANKER DISCHARGE STATION (SEPTIC ACCEPTANCE STATION) A septic acceptance station will be erected. The capacity will be 1000 m³/12h and maximum 100m3/h. (or in accordance with the discharge capacity of the local used septic suction vehicles). The unit is equipped as follows:

• Rectangular tank with coverage, bottom with slope and pump sump (min. capacity 500 m³);

• Hand raked bar screen, removable, bar spacing 50 mm; • Mixer for equalisation and homogenisation of material (high speed submersible mixer);

and • Wet mounted pump for discharge of septic material.

The tanker discharge system shall be designed to avoid at a maximum odour emission, where all sensitive units shall be connected to the air treatment facilities. One receiving buffer tank shall be constructed for the septic/sewerage water which shall be equipped with at least 2 submerged transfer pumps and 2 mixers. A course bubble aeration system shall be installed in the buffer tank for an optional first aeration. The buffer tank shall have a capacity of at least 500 m³. The septage acceptance station shall be of the compacted and completely covered type in-cluding quantity measuring, grit and screenings removal. Grit and screenings are disposed to-gether with the residues from the mechanical wastewater treatment. The unit shall provide at least 2 tanker discharge points and shall be dimensioned for a maximum capacity of 100 m³/hour or accordingly to the maximum peak flow of the septage vehicles. A service water infeed line DN 80 shall be provided for dilution of the sceptics. The service water shall be added on demand in order to improve the septic handling. The pre-treated septage will be added to the main wastewater flow behind the screens.


20

The measuring system includes a connection gear outside the building, a meter which is in-stalled inside the building and a pipe system (stainless steel) ending before the coarse screens, where the septage will be discharged. The space for the future installation of the septage recep-tion station will be considered in the building.

1.4.2.4 PRIMARY SEDIMENTATION FACILITIES No primary sedimentation facilities shall be constructed. For primary treatment fine mesh filter sieves shall be used which shall have a mesh size between 300μm and 500 μm. The space re-quirement of this equipment less than 20% of the area required for conventional sedimentation, and the investment cost are estimated to be about 50% of the cost for conventional sedimenta-tion. For primary treatment including thickening and dewatering - which can be specified to be an integral part of the sieves - 4 fine mesh filter sieves shall be installed.

Following a brief functional description of the micro sieves.The wastewater flows through the inlet tube of the fine sieves, filters through an endless wire cloth and approx. 30 % of the SS, 30 % of the COD and 15 % of the BOD5 is removed. From the back of the wire cloth filtered water flows out through the outlet tube. The wire cloth ro-tates clockwise. The cloth transports the separated SS (sludge) to the air cleaning device where compressed air is used to blow the sludge down into the sludge compartment. First stage of de-watering is done by gravity during transport to the screw compartment. The screw presses the sludge forward to a press cylinder where further dewatering is done. The dry solids concentra-tion of the sludge can be regulated by adjusting the tension on the spring-loaded lid. 1.4.2.5 ACTIVATED SLUDGE TREATMENT FACILITIES The system shall remove using the activated sludge process phosphorous, nitrogenous and car-bonaeous pollution. In addition the surplus sludge shall be stabilized using the extended aeration process. In order to achieve these targets it is necessary to provide:

• Aerobic conditions for nitrification, BOD removal • Anoxic conditions for de-nitrification • Anaerobic selector for enhanced biological P-removal.

Advanced biological nutrient removal (ABNR) shall be applied in order to minimize required chemicals for phosphorus precipitation. The selection of the process technology has to take into account the requirements for set effluent parameters, operability, serviceability and maintenance of the plant. Process stability in case of peak loads or flows have to be ensured. A MBR in combination with ABNR process technology has been evaluated as the preferred technological solution. The process operates in the secondary treatment with an aeration tank (plug-flow) whereas upstream an anaerobic selector is used. From the aeration tank the waste water shall be discharged to the membrane tank which shall accommodate the submerged membranes. Membranes will be used for the separation of the sludge from the TSE. The process shall ensure nitrification, de-nitrification and biological phosphorus elimination (partly). The aeration shall be selected in dependence from the biological reactor. Preference is given to fine bubble aeration systems but also jet aeration systems or any other aeration system with a high efficiency will be accepted as per the conceptual design. The aerobic system shall be based on an aeration system designed to oxidize BOD and nitrify


21

influent ammonia from NH4 via NO2 to NO3 (Nitrate). The nitrate produced in the nitrification process is recycled back to the anoxic zone (with the internal recycle rate) for further treatment. In the anoxic zone the nitrate is converted to N2, which is released to the atmosphere. Prior to the Aerobic system the anaerobic system will be situated. In this part the unaerated inflow and the return sludge are mixed and provide anaerobic conditions which are necessary to promote PAO’s (Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms) in the system to uptake phosphorus. The an-aerobic stage shall be designed as a cascade, divided in two tanks. In the first tank 100% of the return sludge shall be discharged and about 10-15% of the inflow, in order to denitrify the return sludge. In the second cascade flows the remaining inflow, and the flow of the first tank.

• Anaerobic Stage The anaerobic stage is designed as a cascade. In this stage the wastewater and the return sludge will be mixed and kept under anaerobic conditions in order to achieve biological P-removal. Submersible mixers will provide the necessary energy input. The biological treatment unit will be constructed in two trains (2 lines each) for stage 1.

• Aeration Basins Nitrification, denitrification are realized simultaneously in the same tanks.

The minimum wastewater temperature for which the biological processes shall be designed is:

T = 15°C

Based on the calculation with the standard design parameter the designers of the WWTP carried out further computerized calculation taking the following into account:

• The return sludge ratio is set between 150% and 200%. With this value the sludge con-centration in the aeration tanks is set with 10 g/l for the MBR tank.

• The phosphorus load is set to be 2,5 g/inh/day. This value is relative high, compared to the German specific phosphorus load of 1,8 g/inh/day. This value had been also higher in Germany with a value of 2,3 g/inh/day, but as the phosphorus content in the washing de-tergents had been reduced or replaced also the specific phosphorus load had been de-creased. It can be assumed that this will take place also in Cyprus. Calculations had been made with a lower specific phosphorus load of 2,5 g/inh/day.

• The suspended solid concentration has been set in a computerized calculation to be slightly higher than the BOD5 concentration, which means a specific load of 70 g/inh/day.

A. Aeration System The conceptual design indicates that the aeration system shall be fine bubble aeration. The aeration system shall be in accordance with the required oxygen demand. In addition, the aera-tors shall be designed to ensure a sufficient velocity of flow at the tank bottom (0.15 m/s) in order to keep the activated sludge in suspension. The conceptual design indicates that the peripheral speed shall not exceed 5 m/s to prevent excessive formation of aerosols. The aeration system fine bubble aeration system with aeration membranes and blowers is proposed.


22

B. Submerged Membrane Filter The proposed treatment system includes the erection of a membrane tank for the accommo-dation of the effluent membranes. Preference is given to spitted installation – means membranes are arranged in a separate tank. C. Return Activated Sludge Pumping System Pump flow shall be detected by flow meters in discharge pipe-work as specified separately be-low in Tables 1-3 to 1-4: Table1- 4: Determination of sludge quantities

Item Sludge Quantities Unit Stage 1 Stage 2

1 Design data

1-1 TSS reduction in fine screens % 30 30

1-2 Primary Sludge concentration DS 8% 8%

1-3 Primary Sludge quantity kg/d 5.651 8.457

1-4 Excess Sludge Calculated acc. ATV (inc. chemical sludge) kg/d 10.974 16.461

1-5 Primary + Excess Sludge Calculated acc. ATV kg/d 16.625 24.918 Table 1-5: Process data and dimensioning of activated sludge pumping station

Item Activated Sludge Pumping Station Unit Stage 1 Stage 2

1 Design Data: Return Sludge:

1-1 Return ratio MBR % 200,0% 200,0%

2 Required Dimension

2-1 Total Pump power kW 38 57

2-2 QRS m3/h 2.550 3.825

3 Selected Dimensions:

3-1 Selected No. of Pumps - 4 6

3-2 Sel. Capacity per Pump m3/h 650 650


23

D. Excess sludge pumping system Pump flow shall be registered by flow meters installed in discharge pipe work as specified sepa-rately below in Table 1-5. The pumps should be dry mounted. Dry well-installed rotary pumps shall be of progressive cavity type, with a cast iron body, preferably located in the same pumping station as the return activated sludge pumps.

Table 1-6: Design data excess Sludge Pumping Station

Item Excess Sludge Pumping Station Unit Stage 1 Stage 2

1 Design Data: Excess Sludge

1-1 DS-Quantity in kg/d 10.974 16.461

1-2 DS concentration % 1,5% 1,5%

1-3 Sludge Quantity in m3/d 732 1.097

2 Required Dimension

2-1 Selected No. of Pumps - 4 6

3 Selected Dimensions:

3-1 Sel. Capacity per Pump m3/h 30 30 E. Process control instrumentation The following is a summary of minimum requirements for process control instruments in the bio-logical treatment as described in the conceptual design, not including the aeration system itself:

• Flow meter for plant influent; • Flow meter for plant effluent; • Flow meter for return activated sludge (each line); • Flow meter for surplus activated sludge (each line); • Dissolved oxygen meter in aerated reactors (each line); • NH4-N, P, NO3 meter in aerated reactors (each line); • pH-value plant influent and effluent; and • Temperature plant influent and effluent.

All these parameters are to be measured continuously (on-line). F. Process and Control Equipment The process and control equipment will be installed in the control centre of the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP.


24

1.4.2.6 SLUDGE TREATMENT A. General The overall objective with respect to sludge treatment is to treat the sludge in such a way that the sludge is stabilized, thickened and dewatered to minimum 30% DS. In accordance with the conceptual design it is proposed to design the sludge treatment in that way, that starting from the excess sludge pumping station, the excess sludge can be discharged to a mechanical sludge thickener and from there the sludge will be discharged to the anaerobic digester. Further and after anaerobic sludge stabilization the sludge will be conveyed to the sludge dewatering unit. Further the sludge will be conveyed to the sludge storage area. B. Sludge thickening All produced sludge flows shall be instantly further processed. The final treatment target is to produce dewatered sludge with a DS content of > 30 %.

A mechanical sludge thickener is required for the excess sludge produced. Secondary sludge volume is reduced by thickening and subsequent sludge processes are benefited (less tank ca-pacities and equipment required, less heat required for digestion, etc).

Sludge waters produced from sludge thickening will be returned to the plant inlet. The load from sludge waters is considered for the MBR design.

C. Sludge Stabilization Sludge from the primary treatment shall be anaerobically stabilized. Sludge from the primary treatment shall be directly pumped to the digester. Secondary sludge shall be pre-thickened and then pumped into the digester. In the digester the organic matter is degraded into methane gas, CO2 and H2O. The sludge volume will be reduced by about 50 % and after retention time of 21 days at about 37°C the sludge is completely stabilized.

During the anaerobic digestion approximately 50 % of the organic matter of the feed sludge will be degraded. The herby produced biogas contains around 65 % methane and 35 % CO2. Other products of the destruction process are water and mineral residuals. For the design of the di-gester the retention time of the sludge is determining. Usually the sludge retention time shall be between 17 and 21 days.

D. Sludge dewatering facilities In accordance with the conceptual design the sludge-dewatering unit shall comply with the fol-lowing requirements:

• A minimum DS-content of 30 % must be obtained with stabilized sludge; and • SS-content of reject water must not exceed 1000 ppm.

For the mechanical sludge dewatering, a chamber filter press, a belt filter press or a centrifuge shall be used. The daily sludge amount has to be dewatered during 5 working days and during 12 working hours (2 shifts) a day. From the working hours the start-up and the shut down time


25

have to be reduced to get the dewatering time per day: Based on the conceptual design, In order to operate the dewatering unit, a liquid storage tank for stabilized sludge is required. Thus, a tank for 5 days sludge storage has to be constructed. Before dewatering, the thickened sludge has to be conditioned with polymers as flocculants. Polymer storage, polymer preparation and polymer dosing are integral part of the sludge de-watering plant.

The dewatered sludge shall be transported by a conveyer to the storage place (near the de-watering unit). According to the conceptual design, the sludge storage area shall have a capacity of at least 30 days. E. Handling of dewatered sludge and liquid sludge

In accordance to the conceptual design, in order to have an interim storage facility for sludge – to be prepared for any interruptions in the disposal chain – an open storage area with a capacity equal to one month of sludge production shall be constructed.

The conceptual design proposes the design of a storage field next to the dewatering unit. Based on the conceptual design it is proposed that this storage facility shall consist of two outer con-crete walls with sufficient foundation, a concrete base plate and drainage of water. The water should be drained to the return sludge pumping station.

Table 1-7: Process data and dimensioning of sludge storage facilities

Item Sludge Storage Unit Stage 1 Stage 2 1 Design Data

1-1 No. of Units No. 1 1 1-2 Sludge Quantity m3/d 39 59 1-3 Sludge Quantity m3/month 1.174 1.760

1-4 Retention Time month 1 12 Required Dimensions

2-1 Required Volume m3 1.174 1.760 2-2 Req. Area m2 782 1.174

3 Selected Dimensions 3-1 Selected No. of Units - 1 1

3-2 Selected Height m 1,5 1,5

3-3 Length per Unit m 40 60

3-4 Width per Unit m 20 20 3-5 Area selected m2 800 1.200

3-6 Height of Sludge layers m 0,25 0,25


26

1.4.2.7 P-PRECIPITATION P-precipitation will be installed as a precaution to remove P from the wastewater flow in the case that direct discharge to the receiving body will be required and the ANR – biological treatment process will not provide the required effluent quality with regard to the P concentration.

Pending from the process design of the ANR process the precipitation agent shall be added at the most appropriated dosing point. Mainstream process shall be a preferred variant but pending of the detailed solution also side stream process design shall be accepted. The table below shows the relevant process and design data for this treatment unit.

1.4.2.8 BIOGAS UTILIZATION FACILITIES Biogas produced in the anaerobic digester will be used to generate electrical energy and process heat, both to be used for operation of the WWTP.

A. General For the utilization of the produced biogas the following equipment shall be provided as per the conceptual design.

• Gas holder; • Gas treatment facility to remove H2S from biogas; • Gas flare for emergency gas disposal; and • CHP unit for production of process heat and electricity.

For the design of gas utilization facilities, the danger of explosions caused by the formation of explosive gas mixtures shall be considered. Further the danger resulting from the operation of gas filled plant facilities must be acknowledged. B. Desulphurisation The conceptual design indicates that several measures should be taken to reduce the hydrogen sulphide concentration. In the Tender Documents the reduction by reaction with iron salts is planned in combination with the biological reduction of hydrogen sulphide by bacteria. Typically the biological H2S degradation can be used up to 50 ppm H2S. For a further reduction a classical iron oxide filter before the CHP unit shall be used. This shall ensure a final H2S concentration lower than 5 ppm. Another variant that could be used for H2S reduction would to use small streams of air bubbled through the top layer of digested sludge in the digester to promote growth of Thiobacillus spp. These oxidize hydrogen sulphide to elemental sulphur which is retained within the treated sludge. C. Gasholder The gasholder shall be installed in order to provide a constant gas flow to the consumer and to decouple the generation of biogas in the digester and the gas utilization. The capacity of the gasholder shall be sufficient to insure sound plant operation of 12 hours and shall be at least 1.800 m³. The biogas shall be feed into the gasholder by a blower set and the storage pressure shall be about 200 mbar. Discharge from the gas holder shall be ensured with constant pres-sure. The outer shape of the gasholder shall be formed by a metal housing. Textile protections


27

shall not be used because of the extensive sun radiation in Cyprus. The outer shape and protection for the inner membrane and the space between outer shape and inner membrane shall be pressurized by a small blower. The blower shall maintain a constant pressure of about 3 mbar between the outer shape and inner membrane. The over pressure shall care for the discharge pressure of the stored biogas. A pressure control valve insures con-stant operation pressure in the gasholder. Membranes shall be rugged design, membrane ma-terial shall be PVC coated and be badly inflammable. Extended UV protection shall be provided in accordance with the conceptual design. For protection against biogas, the inner membrane shall be special coated in accordance with the conceptual design. A separate gas in and outlet pipe shall be installed. A safety valve against overpressure in the gasholder shall be installed. Gas inlet and outlet nozzles shall be equipped with a flame arrestor. D. CHP Unit In the CHP unit the gas is used to generate heat and electricity. Both will be used as process energy for plant operation and lower the overall energy consumption. In accordance with the conceptual design the CHP unit will comprise a gas engine and alterna-tor, connected by an elastic coupling and a rigid flange, mounted vibration damped on main-frame, cooling water pump, cooling water heat exchanger, with complete cooling water pipework system for heating water systems at 80/70°C outflow/return temperature as well as switchgear cabinet with power and control section for fully automatic operation mounted at mainframe. Generator shall be designed as synchronous generator and parallel operation with the grid. Surplus electricity can be feed into the public grid and sold to the local power utility. Surplus heat can be used to heat adjacent homes or buildings or other consumers that require significant heat. The following list shows the emission limits for selected parameters in accordance to German Standard TA Luft for CHP plant with a total fuel power larger as 3 MW (figures in brackets show for smaller as 3 MW).

• NOx 500 mg/Nm³ (1.000 mg/Nm³) • CO 650 mg/Nm³ (1.000 mg/Nm³) • Staub 20 mg/l (20 mg/Nm³)

In accordance with the conceptual design the CHP –units shall be designed for infinitely variable mixed operation with biogas and natural gas. CHP units shall be able to be started without ex-ternal power supply from the electrical grid. A ventilation unit shall be installed in the operation room and prevent a room temperature rise more as 10 C. Ventilation air shall be conveyed by ventilation ducts to each CHP unit. Exhaust air shall be extracted above the CHP units to avoid any heat holdup. E. Gas Flare An enclosed flare shall be used with a vertical, cylindrical, and self-supported refractory lined stack. The flame shall be completely hidden inside the combustion chamber. The design shall be based on a single burner or array of burners enclosed within a cylindrical enclosure lined with refractory material. The enclosure prevents quenching and as a result the burn is much more uniform and emissions are low. Operation control shall include continuous monitoring of tem-perature, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The increased engineering and process control shall provide greater flexibility in terms of turn down the ratio of minimum biogas flow to maxi-


28

mum biogas flow under which satisfactory operating conditions are maintained. A further sub-classification of enclosed flares is based on the method of introducing the air to the biogas. Regulation – operational standards For operation of the flare the following combination of residence time and temperature shall be considered: 0.3 seconds at 1200°C Limits for Emission Concentrations

• Carbon monoxide (CO) 50 mg/Nm3 • Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) 150 mg/Nm3 • Unburned hydrocarbons 10 mg/Nm3 Concentrations referred to Normal Temperature &

Pressure (NTP = 0°C and 1013 mBar) and 3% oxygen. 1.4.2.9 FINAL EFFLUENT DISINFECTION FACILITY For the utilization of TSE, the disinfection of the TSE is from overall importance for the final TSE quality. The proposed solution for Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP, tertiary treatment is the di-rect disinfection by chlorine which is added in a concentration to maintain a sustainable disin-fection effect up to the consumer point (about 1 mg/l chlorine at the TSE discharge point of the WWTP). For a future upgrade of the disinfection unit of the WWTP UV disinfection followed by a post-chlorination would be an option. 1.4.2.10 AUXILIARY/MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES AND STRUCTURES A. Internal Drain System and Lifting Pumping Station All operation and service buildings will be connected to an internal gravity sewerage system. The collected sewer quantities and the outlet from the mechanical pre-treatment/sand trap will flow by gravity to the inlet lifting station. A wet well pumping station will be established. Three submerged pumps will be installed in the underground wet well. The underground wet well reservoirs of the pumping station shall be made of GRP material. The stableness shall be ensured by a massive RC made base plate and all structural elements shall be fixed on this base plate. The size of the wet well is determined depending on wastewater flow, invert level of the incoming gravity lines and other relevant de-sign parameters. Further the size of pumps and equipment shall be considered. The pumping stations will be equipped for complete automated operation. B. Odour Control System All facilities of the pre-treatment units and the discharge station for the tanker waste are en-closed. The air will be extracted by means of blowers and conveyed to an odour removal sys-tem. The exhausted air is polluted predominant with H2S and NH3, caused by fouling processes in the sewer network. The following possibilities to control the odour are possible in accordance with the conceptual design:

• Scrubber and/or activated carbon filter – for adsorption of H2S, NH3 etc. and conversion into substances like CO2 and H2O;

• Biological filter systems – biological purification with micro-bacteria (Sulphur-bacteria)


29

supported by conditioning systems for correct humidity and nutrients; • Biological adsorption system – adsorption of H2S, NH3 etc. in the aeration tanks by het-

erotrophy bacteria’s; and • Ionization systems in combination with activated carbon filter.

Based on the conceptual design the odour control system of the new preliminary treatment will be arranged as a biological adsorption of the pollution using bio filter. C. Operation Building and Workshop For the accommodation of the required service rooms, staff rooms, mechanical workshop, elec-trical workshop, laboratory, etc. a central operation building shall be constructed in accordance with the conceptual design. D. Effluent Measurement and Effluent Pipeline The TSE will flow together in a shaft. At this shaft an automatic sample taker will be installed. Beside the automatic sampler a pH-value and temperature measurement will be installed. The effluent flow will be measured with a venturi channel.

A new effluent pipeline will be constructed starting from the mentioned shaft until the effluent discharge point with a distance of about 150 m. The diameter shall be 1200mm. E. Process and Control Equipment Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and Process Control System (PCS). Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s) shall be installed in each technological unit. Each PLC-cabinet shall be equipped with an operation panel. Here observation and operation can be done. PLC´s are also equipped with no stop power supplies. In addition to the operator panels data are transmitted to the central control station. Thus, designated operational units can also be operated from the central control room. Power supplies to the PLCs and computer shall be equipped with uninter-ruptible power supply (UPS) units in buffered on-line operation.

1.4.2.11 TSE STORAGE TANK AND PUMPING STATION In accordance with the conceptual design and in order to de-link the TSE production from the TSE demand curve of a future TSE distribution system the future construction of two 10,000 m³ TSE storage tanks shall be considered. The tanks shall be made from C-steel plates which are based on a RC base plate. All connecting pipe work shall be made as a nozzle into the tank walls. The tank roof shall be also made from steel plates and supported by a minimum number of vertical columns. Corrosion protection shall be applied to all steel parts and as required for the service life of the unit. TSE pumping stations shall be allocated in the vicinity of the tanks and the filter station to accommodate all for the plant internal and for the supply of TSE required pumps and associated machinery. 1.4.2.12 TSE FILLING STATION FOR TANKERS For TSE tanker loading an overhead filling station shall be constructed. The station shall have 3 top loading positions for large tracks. In addition 2 hydrant loading points for large tracks shall be provided.


30

1.4.3 CONSTRUCTION OF WWTP Construction of the WWTP will entail in situ excavation and use of the excavated material as fill (if needed). Any additional amounts of earth material, required for construction of the WWTP will be small as the local excavation works will meet most of the needs. The building area will be subjected to standard building conditions, such as:

• Construction site free from visible or invisible obstacles, such as old foundations, debris, large vegetation, local rock or stone formations

• Construction area is large enough for proposed construction, including space area for normal excavations, site installation and material storage

• Construction area is accessible for standard equipment, such as trucks, etc. • The existing grade level is relatively flat, without any significant differences in elevation.

1.4.4 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS It is expected that for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP all tanks, and the main structures will be constructed of concrete. At this stage, quantities of the materials that will be used for the imple-mentation of the Project are not known. Main materials that will be used for the implementation of the construction activities include con-crete and all necessary electromechanical equipment that will be installed for the pumping units and the WWTP. It is expected that the concrete will be transported to the construction sites from concrete batch plants located by the area near the proposed construction site. Specialized personnel will install all electromechanical equipment on site. The Contractor is expected to deliver equipment and all materials that will be used for the implementation of the Project, on site. It is also expected that most of the equipment that will be used in the WWTP (diffusers, pumps, blowers) will be made of noncorroding materials. 1.5 WORK PROGRAM FOR CONSTRUCTION, COMMISSIONING AND OPERATION PHASES The work program for construction is not yet known at this stage, but it is estimated that the im-plementation phase will have a duration of two years, from 2009-2011 after the tendering proce-dure will be finalised. The planned commissioning date of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat is anticipated to be latest 31.03.2012. The operation phase is estimated to start 4-6 months af-ter the commissioning phase. The design horizon for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat was set by the ToR with 2025. 1.6 CONSTRUCTION WORKS AND METHODS The stages of construction for the implementation of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat as well as for the associated Sewerage Network have not been determined precisely, but it is an-ticipated that the methods to be followed will be similar to other sewage handling construction activities.


31

Therefore, the more important works for the construction of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat will include the following stages:

• Excavations and other earthwork activities. • Construction of foundations. • Construction of tank walls for each stage of treatment (primary, secondary and tertiary

treatment) and auxiliary buildings, all made from reinforced concrete. • Construction of the machinery rooms from reinforced concrete and bricks. • Installation of piping and electromechanical equipment at the tanks and machinery

rooms. • Painting and completion of woodwork, metalwork and power supply. • Construction of road network. • Landscaping and fencing of spaces.

Temporary sanitary and provisional installations for the Contractor’s personnel will be installed at the construction site. It will be also necessary to identify storage areas for the materials of con-struction. The most important construction activities for the erection of the pumping stations include the fol-lowing:

• Surface cleaning. • Construction of foundations. • Construction of wet wells and valve chambers from reinforced concrete. • Construction of control room by reinforced concrete and walls by bricks. • Installation of electromechanical equipment in the wells and in the control room. • Painting and completion of woodwork, metalwork and power supply. • Construction of road access. • Landscaping and fencing of spaces.

The most important works required at the various construction stages for the erection of the WWTP and the various system components, as mentioned above, are described in more detail below: Earth Works It is anticipated that extensive excavations for the construction of the underground structures will be implemented. The excavated material will be in the order of few thousands of cubic meters, from which some will be disposed off site and most of it will be utilized as fill material. Works during the Foundation Construction The plant’s and pumping station footings will be constructed from reinforced concrete. It is ex-pected that the concrete will be transferred to the construction site ready mix from concrete batch plants. The concrete placement will last for few hours at each constructed structure. Asso-ciate works such as formwork and reinforcement placement will take place first. After some days from the placement of concrete the formwork will be removed and backfilling works will take


32

place. Construction of the Buildings and other Concrete Structures The frame of the buildings, the tank walls, pumping stations, the floors and roofs of structures are expected to be constructed from reinforced concrete. Works also associated with the con-struction of the building frame is the transportation and placement of concrete and reinforce-ment, formwork and its removal after the setting of the concrete. The formwork will be mostly of wood sections. Construction of External and Internal Walls It is expected that the exterior walls of the buildings will mainly be constructed by bricks and blocks. The interior spaces will most probably be divided with blocks and bricks. During this ac-tivity various materials will be transported on site such as bricks, cement blocks, sand, aggre-gates and cement. Wood and Metal Works Most of these works will be completed in the subcontractor’s workshops. The works will include their transportation and placement at the facilities. Floor Placement It is expected that various types of floors will be placed depending on the type of room. The works will include the transportation of the floor finishes on site and their placement. Installation of Electromechanical Systems The installation of electromechanical systems is not restricted in a specific time frame. The works will take place during the whole construction period. The most important part of works will take place at the end of the construction period when the construction of the machinery rooms is completed. Painting and Finishing of Metal and Wood Works Part of the metal, wood and paint works is expected to take place in the subcontractor’s work-shops. The wall, roof and metallic members painting will be finalized at the end of the construc-tion period. It is expected that some of the construction stages will coexist, so as to allow the simultaneous presence of construction activities. In order to implement the construction activities the Contrac-tor will use various machinery such as excavators, transport vehicles for materials, vehicles for removal of excess excavation material, compressors, vehicles of transport of concrete and other machinery for the placement of asphalt paving.


33

1.7 ENERGY NEEDS RESOURCES USED IN CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION (MATERIALS, WATER, EN-

ERGY, ETC) The main energy source that will be utilized by the WWTP is the electric energy. It is expected that the energy will be supplied by the responsible Electricity Department’s substations, which will be installed at the area of the proposed construction. The total installed electrical consumer for the MBR process have a power demand of 1350 kVA. The maximum required electrical load at 100 % WWTP load is estimated to be about 1370 kVA. The total installed electrical consumer including stand by facilities is about 1650 kVA. Under emergency conditions – means in case of a power cut in the public grid - the installed CHP-units shall be sufficient to provide energy for all relevant operational units to maintain the plant operation. Nevertheless the WWTP can operate under this emergency power conditions not fully and some big energy consumers like blowers or all intermediate services have to be idled or to operate in a power save modus during power cut periods. 1.8 NOISE LEVELS The expected noise level estimation was based on measurements taken on the newly operated WWTP at Anthoupolis. It was assumed that similar noise levels would be produced at the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat since the same technology and similar equipment will be used. The noise levels at the existing facilities were measured utilizing a sound meter. The procedure and the results of the site measurements are presented in the following paragraphs. • Methodology The measurements were recorded in August 2008, when the Anthoupolis WWTP and the pump-ing station PS were in full operation. Measurements were taken at two (2) points at the pumping station fence limits and at two (2) points at the fence limits of the WWTP. Because of the stability of the noise each measurement had duration of few minutes. • Instrumentation

Noise Meter : Orion NL-32, Type I Calibrator : CEL-284/2

• Results The measurement results are summarized as follows:

• PS – Position 1: Leq = 57 dB(A), 5 meters from the building. • PS- Position 2: Leq = 59 dB(A), 5 meters from the building • WWTP Position 1 = 62 dB(A), close to the aeration pond. • WWTP Position 2 = 58 dB(A).

From the above results it may be concluded that the operation of the aeration equipment at the WWTP produces high noise levels within the WWTP area.


34

1.9 OTHER ACTIVITIES WHICH MAY BE REQUIRED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE PROJECT Further to the new WWTP, it will be required to construct a new trunk sewer from Gerolakkos/Alakoy (via Gonyeli) to Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site as well as a secondary sewer collection network, thus contributing to the improvement of the overall sanitary situation in Nicosia. Additionally, according with the conceptual design the following will be required during for implementation of the new WWTP: Waste Water / Effluent

• Inlet pipe: Connection to existing inlet gravity sewer pipe about 800 m, DN 1100 • Outlet pipe: Termination of discharge sewer into the discharge river. A new effluent pipe-

line will be constructed starting from the shaft at the TSE outlet, until the effluent dis-charge point with a distance of about 150 m.

Drinking Water

• Connection to existing drinking water supply network Sludge Handling/ Sludge storage basins

• Included will be Sludge pumping station, sludge thickening, sludge dewatering and tem-porary sludge storage. Sludge treatment with lime will be considered.

Existing idle/not further required structures

• To be demolished and area to be reinstated provided the structures are within the site boundaries. For connecting pipes site boundaries shall be defined with maximum site width of 15 m.


35

2. ANALYSES OF ALTERNATIVES This section looks alternatives to the proposed development and its design, and analyses the potential environmental impacts on each option. The objective is to determine the most practi-cal, environmentally sound, economically and technically feasible option. 2.1 THE “NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE” The “No-Action” alternative is not a possibility in this situation, since the current operation of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP presents numerous functional problems, thus causing major environ-mental negative impacts, eliminating any possibility of providing ecological benefits to the receiv-ing environment. The significant problems associated with the present operation conditions at Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP include the following: • Presence of Odours: The presence of foul odours affects the surrounding area, up to Kai-

makli and Pallouriotissa, causing major negative impacts. Numerous studies have beencon-tacted, in order to determine the source of these offensive smells, and the conclusion according to a UNOPS study, was that the primary cause of the odours is the biological overloading of the anaerobic ponds, coupled with high concentrations of H2S in the influent.

• Quality of Treated Effluent: The quality of the treated water from the process at Mia

Milia/Haspolat WWTP is poor due to problems which occur during the treatment processes. The present waste stabilisation process at the plant is unable to produce treated effluent that complies with limits for phosphorus concentration set by the Urban Wastewater Treat-ment Directive (91/271/EEC) for discharge to sensitive waters. Similarly, it does not comply with the stricter, requirements of the Cyprus Regulation for effluent to be used for irrigation purposes.

• Water Conservation: The very large pond area at Mia Milia/Haspolat (68 ha) results in high

water losses through evaporation during summer periods, which calculated, could be as much as 7,000 m3/day. This results in very limited outflow of treated effluent from the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP the hottest time of the year (July-September), and also increases the high concentration of salts in the pond water, which already has little use for irrigation pur-poses.

• Outfall to Pedhieos River: Present outfall arrangements are highly unsuitable because non-

compliant effluent is discharged to a dry riverbed for most of the year (7-9 months). Even if effluent quality were to be compliant, enough blending is required with the receiving water body (Pedhieos River). Under the EC Directive (91/271/EEC), it is required that discharge points shall be chosen to minimise the impact on receiving waters. It is therefore concluded that there shall be good mixing with a proportionately much larger receiving water body. Cypriot practice requires that the effluent discharge shall not exceed 10% of river flow. Dis-charge to a dry riverbed contravenes these criteria, and results in a gradual, localised build-up in pollutant concentration.

• Plant Capacity: In addition to the shortfalls in plant performance, the existing plant cannot

provide the increased capacity needed for the planned expansion and improvement of sew-


erage services in GCC and TCC areas. • Land Use: The waste stabilisation process requires a very large land area for the ponds.

Further significant land acquisition for expansion using the same process would be wholly inappropriate for a site so close to residential areas of Nicosia that are planned for future urban development. Although there is currently no development adjacent to the site, this is more a reflection of its proximity to the buffer zone that currently divides the two communi-ties. It is widely considered inevitable that the area will develop once the solution of the Cy-prus problem is reached.

Pictures 2-1 to 2-4 illustrate the existing situation in the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. Pictures 2-1 & 2-2: Outfall at Pedhieos River

36


Picture 2-3: Aeration Ponds

37

Picture 2-4: Facultative Lagoon


38

2.2 CONSTRUCTION/COMMISSIONING OF A NEW MIA MILIA/HASPOLAT WWTP – PROPOSED AL-

TERNATIVE In consequence of the actual capacity overload of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the forecasted growth in the respective catchment area within the next 15 years, the construction and com-missioning of a new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat is finally planned, and given high priority. Furthermore, it will be required to construct a new sewer main Alakoy/Gerolakkos (via Gonyeli) to Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site. These measures will relieve the existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the corresponding sewer network and thus contribute to the improvement of the overall sanitary situation in Nicosia.

Direct benefits from the project implementation include qualitative improvements to treated water supply on the basis of urgent needs for reclaimed water of “good quality”, pollutant discharge from the treatment process will be discontinued resulting in improved receiving water quality the improvement of the urban environment and public health, as well as minimizing the adverse en-vironmental impacts associated with the existing operation of the WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat. 2.3 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT OPTIONS4 The following criteria form the framework for the selection of the applicable waste water treat-ment technology.

• Effluent limits drive applicable options • Site constraints and requirements can dictate the option selected

• Operator considerations, influent characteristics and available budget

The waste water treatment can be divided in the following treatment steps. 2.3.1 EVALUATION OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT OPTIONS The utilisation of TSE becomes increasingly important and TSE quality standards have to be in compliance with TSE utilisation purposes. In Cyprus, the TSE shall be used for unrestricted irri-gation, thus the TSE must comply with the highest quality standards for TSE. In the following, the advantages and disadvantages of membrane technology versus CAS plants are evaluated. Membrane technology has developed essentially within the last couple of years and represents today state-of-the-art technology for wastewater treatment. Membranes can be considered as a key process element for wastewater reuse. Hollow membranes of porous plastic fibres provide billions of microscopic pores on the surface. Pores form a physical barrier to impurities but allow pure water molecules to pass. Clean water is drawn to the inside of fibres by a gentle suction. The chart below provides an overview about membrane filtration based on Zenon membranes.

4 Service for Preparation of Conceptual and Detailed Design for Priority Projects on Water and Waste Water Management in North-ern Part of Cyprus Contract N° 2008/149-039 - Final Planning Report N° 7- Part 1: Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – October 2008, FICHTNER-HEINRICH


Figure 2-1: Membranes providing a physical barrier ensuring reliable filtration There are basically two basic applications for the use of membranes in the wastewater treatment process.

a) The MBR – membranes are directly used in the secondary treatment unit to draw the ef-fluent

b) Tertiary membrane filters – TSE drawn off from the secondary clarifier is treated through

a UF membrane and optional further through a RO membrane. Option b) of above described process variant is normally combined with a conventional activated sludge (CAS) process. The CAS process shall be designed for Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) e.g. step-feed nitrifi-cation / de-nitrification of the activated sludge process. The aeration tank configuration should include an anoxic zone in the front of each pass. Raw wastewater and return sludge are fed into the anoxic zone and allowed to mix in the absence of oxygen. The anoxic zone chamber shall be fully enclosed to prevent atmospheric oxygen to be dissolved in the tank content and to prevent the release of nuisance hydrogen sulphide gas.

39


40

Steady state as well as dynamic simulations is to be performed to establish the feasibility of the used process concept. 2.3.2 PROCESS OPTIONS FOR BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL Biological nutrient removal (BNR) removes total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) from wastewater through the use of microorganisms under different environmental conditions in the treatment process. 2.3.2.1 NITROGEN REMOVAL Total effluent nitrogen comprises ammonia, nitrate, particulate organic nitrogen, and soluble or-ganic nitrogen. The biological processes that primarily remove nitrogen are nitrification and de-nitrification. During nitrification ammonia is oxidized to nitrite by one group of autotrophic bacteria, most commonly Nitrosomonas (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003). Nitrite is then oxidized to ni-trate by another autotrophic bacteria group, the most common being Nitrobacter. Denitrification involves the biological reduction of nitrate to nitric oxide, nitrous oxide, and nitro-gen gas (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003). Both heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria are capable of denitrification. The most common and widely distributed denitrifying bacteria are Pseudomonas species, which can use hydrogen, methanol, carbohydrates, organic acids, alcohols, benzo-ates, and other aromatic compounds for denitrification (Metcalf and Eddy, 2003). In BNR systems, nitrification is the controlling reaction because ammonia oxidizing bacteria lack functional diversity, have stringent growth requirements, and are sensitive to environ-mental conditions. Nitrification occurs in the presence of oxygen under aerobic conditions, and denitrification occurs in the absence of oxygen under anoxic conditions. Table 2-1: Mechanism involved in the removal of Total Nitrogen

Form of Nitrogen Common Removal Mechanism Technology Limit (mg/l)

Ammonia-N Nitrification <0,5

Nitrate-N Denitrification 1..2

Particulate organic N Solid Separation <1,0

Soluble organic-N None 0,5 .. 1,5


41

2.3.2.2 PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL Total effluent phosphorus comprises soluble and particulate phosphorus. Particulate phosphorus can be removed from wastewater through solids removal. To achieve low effluent concentra-tions, the soluble fraction of phosphorus must also be targeted. Only about 15% of total phosphorus contained in settleable particles may be removed by pri-mary sedimentation with no metal salt addition. Due to this fact traditional removal methods are based on the transfer of soluble phosphorus to a solid phase and complemented by solid-liquid separation. The transfer to a solid phase may be performed in the following ways:

• Chemical precipitation and adsorption of phosphorus by trivalent metal salt addition • Biological removal in two general ways: a) uptake due to non-exchangeable phosphorus

or/and enhanced uptake by bacteria, b) ion exchange and adsorption. Table 2-2: Mechanism involved in the removal of total phosphorus Form of Phosphorus Common Removal Mechanism Technology Limit (mg/l)

Soluble phosphorus Microbial uptake Chemical precipitation

0,1

Particulate phosphorus Solids removal < 0,05

Biological phosphorus removal relies on phosphorus uptake by aerobic heterotrophs capable of storing orthophosphate in excess of their biological growth requirements. The treatment process can be designed to promote the growth of these organisms, known as phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) in mixed liquor. Under anaerobic conditions, PAOs convert readily available organic matter [e.g., volatile fatty acids (VFAs)] to carbon compounds called olyhydroxyalka-noates (PHAs). PAOs use energy generated through the breakdown of polyphosphate mole-cules to create PHAs. This breakdown results in the release of phosphorus. The minimum concentration of readily biodegradable carbon supply was estimated as 25 g COD/m3. Under subsequent aerobic conditions in the treatment process, PAOs use the stored PHAs as energy to take up the phosphorus that was released in the anaerobic zone, as well as any addi-tional phosphate present in the wastewater. In addition to reducing the phosphate concentration, the process renews the polyphosphate pool in the return sludge so that the process can be re-peated. Some PAOs use nitrate instead of free oxygen to oxidize stored PHAs and take up phosphorus. These denitrifying PAOs remove phosphorus in the anoxic zone, rather than the aerobic zone.


42

2.3.2.3 PROCESS OPTIONS FOR BNR There are a number of BNR process configurations available. Below stated BNR systems are designed to remove both TN and TP. Common BNR system configurations include:

• A/O Process – MLE process preceded by an initial anaerobic stage; used to remove both TN and TP

• Bardenpho Process (Four-Stage) – continuous-flow suspended-growth process with al-ternating anoxic/aerobic/anoxic/aerobic stages; used to remove TN

• Modified Bardenpho Process – Bardenpho process with addition of an initial anaerobic zone; used to remove both TN and TP

• Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) Process – suspended-growth batch process se-quenced to simulate the four-stage process; used to remove TN (TP removal is inconsis-tent)

• Modified University of Cape Town (UCT) Process – A/O Process with a second anoxic stage where the internal nitrate recycle is returned; used to remove both TN and TP

• Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) Process – continuous-flow process using RBCs with sequential anoxic/aerobic stages; used to remove TN

• Oxidation Ditch – continuous-flow process using looped channels to create time se-quenced anoxic, aerobic, and anaerobic zones; used to remove both TN and TP.

• SYMBIO ABNR process using NADH as monitoring criteria for superior process control

Table 2-3: Comparison of common BNR configurations

Process N-removal P-Removal

A2/O * Good Good

Modified Bardenpho * Excellent Good

SBR * Moderate Inconsistent

Modified UCT * Good Excellent

Oxydation Ditch * Excellent Good

SymBio® process Good Excellent *) Source Jeyanayagam(2005)

Although the exact configurations of each system differ, BNR systems designed to remove TN must have an aerobic zone for nitrification and an anoxic zone for denitrification, and BNR sys-tems designed to remove TP must have an anaerobic zone free of dissolved oxygen and ni-trate. Often, sand or other media filtration is used as a polishing step to remove particulate matter when low TN and TP effluent concentrations are required. Sand filtration can also be combined with attached growth denitrification filters to further reduce soluble nitrates and effluent TN lev-els.


43

2.3.2.4 ENHANCED BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL General features for biological phosphorus removal are the following:

• in the anaerobic reactor, readily biodegradable carbon source from the influent is con-verted into SCFA form by the non-polyP heterotrophs;

• in the anaerobic reactor the lower fatty acids are sequestered by the polyphosphate or-ganisms, energy for this process is obtained from hydrolysis of polyP chains accumu-lated in this organisms.

• the rate of sequestration is faster than rate of conversion, so the conversion is the limiting rate for sequestration and hence for the phosphorus release.

• fraction of the total sludge in the anaerobic reactor is an important parameter in assess-ing phosphorus release behaviour

• the linear relationship between the mass of phosphorus release in the anaerobic reactor and the mass of phosphorus uptake in anoxic/aerobic stage of the process.

For further enhanced biological phosphorus removal, the anaerobic tank has to be designed to ferment the organic waste and to generate volatile fatty acids (VFA, such as acetates, as feed-stock for phosphate accumulating organisms (PAO). Under anaerobic condition, the VFA are consumed as poly-β-hydroxybuterate (PHB) inside the cells until they reach the aerobic zone, such as the pre-aeration basin or the MBR, where PHB is metabolized under aerobic conditions, providing energy for the uptake of all available ortho-phosphate and store it as polyphosphate in the biomass. PHB degradation provides the cell with energy, and the resulting increase in ATP/ADP ratio enhances polyphosphate synthesis. This provides enhanced biological phosphate removal from the waste. MBR system can achieve low levels of effluent phosphorus (TP < 0.1 ppm) by combining EBPR (or Bio-P) technology with supplemental chemical precipitation with Ferric Chloride or Alum. EBPR alone can reduce the TP concentration to 1.0 mg/L in the effluent. Chemicals for phosphorous precipitation can be added in the anaerobic tank, anoxic tank, pre-aeration tank or the MBR tank. The location of the chemical addition point may have an impact on the quantity of chemical needed to achieve the necessary phosphorus removal.

Process configurations and operational results A) Mainstream processes In these processes phosphorus is being removed together with surplus sludge. It is required the surplus sludge contains approx. 7% of P (normal phosphorus content is approx. 2%). The key position for the process is a fermentation anaerobic reactor with retention time of about 1 to 2 h. Sludge in mainstream processes is recycled from a final sedimentation tank to the head of an anaerobic zone or through anoxic to anaerobic. Those processes are usually divided into two groups: recirculation and alternating. The recirculation processes are most frequently applied.


44

B) Sidestream processes The idea of exposing the return sludge to anaerobic conditions prior to return to the aeration ba-sin led to the invention of sidestream processes. In this type of process the phosphorus is ex-tracted from the sludge in the side stream through anaerobic stripping of phosphorus from the sludge to supernatant water or by chemical precipitation. This process combines biological ex-traction and concentration followed by chemical fixation of phosphorus. Wasted sludge directed to the stripper is assumed to contain 3.5% of phosphorus (half of the amount assumed for the mainstream process, Arvin 1985). 2.3.2.5 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE For BNR systems to result in low TN and TP effluent concentrations, proper operation and con-trol of the systems is essential. Operators should be trained to understand how temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, pH, filamentous growth, and recycle loads affect system perform-ance. Biological nitrogen removal reaction rates are temperature dependent. Nitrification and denitri-fication rates increase as temperature increases (until a maximum temperature is reached). In general, nitrification rates double for every 8 to 10°C rise in temperature. The effect of tem-perature on biological phosphorus removal is not completely understood, although rates usu-ally slow at temperatures above 30°C (Jeyanayagam, 2005). DO must be present in the aerobic zone for phosphorus uptake to occur. However, it is important not to over-aerate. DO concentrations around 1 mg/L are sufficient. There is evidence that both nitrification and phosphorus removal rates decrease when pH levels drop below 6.9. Nitrification results in the consumption of alkalinity. As alkalinity is consumed, pH decreases. Thus, treatment plants with low influent alkalinity may have reduced nitrification rates. Filamentous growth can cause poor settling of particulate nitrogen and phosphorus in final clari-fiers. However, many conditions necessary to achieve good BNR rates, such as low DO, longer solids retention times, good mixing, also promote filament growth (Jeyanayagam, 2005). There-fore, operators may need to identify the dominate filaments present in the system so that they can design strategies to target their removal (e.g., chlorinating recycle streams, chemical addi-tion as polishing step) while still maintaining nutrient removal rates. For biological nutrient removal a number of processes have been developed in the past years. Out of it, exemplary the Bardenpho® process is described below more in detail. 2.3.2.6 PROCESS DESCRIPTION BARDENPHO PROCESS Biological Systems represent an advance modification of the activated sludge process consisting of a multi-stage biological reactor. High levels of BOD, suspended solids, nitrogen, and phos-phorus removal are consistently achieved without the use of chemicals. Influent is mixed with ac-


tivated sludge, returned from the final clarifier, in the fermentation stage. After contact, liquid is transported to an anoxic zone where it is mixed with nitrates from the nitrification zone. Oxygen, which is added in the nitrification zone, converts BOD to carbon dioxide, and ammonia to nitrate. In the second anoxic zone, nitrate is reduced to nitrogen gas. The final stage of the Bardenpho Process is a reaeration zone where the dissolved oxygen con-centration is the mixed liquor is increased to prevent phosphorus from being released in the final clarifier. Low effluent concentrations of BOD, nitrogen and phosphorus are achieved using the Barden-pho Process with little or no costly chemical additives. Simple and Stable Operation Bardenpho Systems are similar to conventional activated sludge plant. Figure 2-2: Bardenpho Process

In the following a process description for the five distinctive process steps is given: 1) Fermentation Stage Activated sludge, consisting of a broad spectrum of organisms, is returned from the clarifier to the fermentation stage. This sludge is contacted with the plant influent to produce the appropri-ate stress condition that allows large quantities of phosphorus to be removed from the wastewa-ter biologically in subsequent aerobic stages. Organism stress occurs in the absence of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrates (NO3).

2) First Anoxic Stage

Mixed liquor containing nitrates from the third stage is recycled to the first anoxic stage. Here it is mixed with conditioned sludge from the fermentation stage in the absence of oxygen. Bacteria utilize BOD in the influent, reducing the nitrates to gaseous nitrogen. Approximately two-thirds of the influent nitrogen is removed in the first anoxic stage.

453) Nitrification Stage


46

Oxygen is introduced in the nitrification stage to oxidize BOD and ammonia. BOD is con-verted to new cell mass and carbon dioxide. Ammonia is converted to nitrate. Mixed liquor, containing the nitrates, is recycled back to the first anoxic stage. Luxury phosphorus uptake by the organisms occurs in this stage.

4) Second Anoxic Stage Nitrate, no recycled to the first anoxic stage, is introduced to the second anoxic stage where it is reduced (in the absence of oxygen) to nitrogen gas. This produces a low effluent nitrate concentration

5) Re-aeration Stage

When maintained in an aerobic environment, the Bardenpho system mixed liquor contains 5% to 6% phosphorus. If the sludge is permitted to become septic, phosphorus could be re-leased in the final clarifier. Subjecting the sludge to reaeration introduces additional oxygen to the mixed liquor, insuring that it remains aerobic, thus retaining phosphorus.

2.3.2.6 PROCESS DESCRIPTION UCT PROCESS UCT process has been named by the WWTP of Cape Town in South Africa. The main idea was to return the activated sludge to the anoxic instead of the anaerobic stage to avoid negative af-fects on the initial phosphorus removal efficiency by nitrate nitrogen entering the anaerobic stage as described above. The anoxic stage of the UCT process is designed and operated to produce relatively low levels of nitrate nitrogen. The mixed liquor recycle from the anoxic stage to the an-aerobic stage prevents optimal conditions for a conversion of readily biodegradable COD into fermentation products from occurring. The relative ratio TKN: COD recommended for this process is 0.08 g N/g COD or more. Experi-ments with the UCT process exposed another type of problem which could significantly affect the successful operation of the process. If the TKN/COD ratio increases the aerobic-anoxic mixed liquor recycle ratio needs to be reduced to avoid nitrate discharge to the anaerobic reac-tor. The consequence of such reduction is the increase in actual retention time. In the Modified UCT process the anoxic zone is subdivided into two parts: the first anoxic zone receives sludge recy-cle while an anoxic-anaerobic mixed liquor recycle is taken from it. The second anoxic part re-ceives aerobic-anoxic mixed liquor recycle. The advantage of this process is that first anoxic part (zone) is designed to reduce only the ni-trate nitrogen in the return sludge which prevents against nitrogen intrusion to the anaerobic zone.


47

2.3.2.7 PROCESS DESCRIPTION A2O PROCESS New processes have been developed in the United States. These are the A/O, A2/O and VIP processes. Flow diagrams of these processes are similar to Bardenpho related processes ex-cept each stage is divided into a number of equal size cells of complete mixing. The main difference in process characteristics are: relatively short Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater. Design SDT, high organic loading ratios (F/M) – up to 0.7 kg BOD/kg MLVSS d (EPA 1987), (Daigger et al. 1988) and low sludge return ratio 25-60 % (EPA 1987). The A/O process (trademark comes from Anaerobic/Oxic sequence) was originally developed for phos-phorus removal only so its flow diagram does not include a recycle of a mixed liquor. Organic load is 0.3-0.5 kg BOD/kg MLVSS ; SDT 7-29 days – usually approx. 10 days. Results obtained varied between 0.4 and 1.4 g P/m3 in the effluent (Deakyne 1984, EPA 1987, Morales et al 1991). The A/O process was later developed for nitrification and denitrification by incorporating an anoxic stage for denitrification between the anaerobic and aerobic stages. This modification has been named A2/O. Consequently, mixed liquor recycle with ratio 100-200% of plant influent flow has to be added. 2.3.2.8 SYMBIO® PROCESS FOR SIMULTANEOUS NITRIFICATION AND DENITRIFICATION (SNDN) Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SNdN) is an attractive option for design as it may offer significant advantages over the conventional processes with separate nitrification and deni-trification reactors. For example, SNdN eliminates the need for a separate denitrification tank and mixed liquor recycle. It offers aeration energy savings and improved sludge settling. BioBalance of Denmark originally developed the SymBio® concept in the early 90’s. The main objective of the SymBio® process was to create and maintain conditions for SNdN in a single basin. The SymBio® SNdN concept has been also adopted with its membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems. Effluent TN levels to 5-10 mg/L are achievable using the SymBio® technology. Flow and loading variations, volumetric and aeration capacity as well as aeration control capabilities are consid-ered during evaluation. Energy savings, 25-30% compared to nitrifying plants may be reached. Applying Symbio process technology the following differences to other BNR technologies exist

• No additional tanks necessary for incorporating denitrification • No need for recycle of mixed liquor • Reduced sludge production compared to nitrifying plants • Improved biological phosphorus uptake • Better pH control due to recovery of alkalinity in denitrification • well stabilized sludge, improved settling • NADH signal provides quick, real-time information for superior process control


The principle behind the SymBio® process control strategy is simple. The idea is to monitor the NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a coenzyme in the living cells, level in the biomass along with the dissolved oxygen (DO) level in the water to precisely predict the changes in the biological oxygen demand on a 24/7 basis. Based on the results, the aeration is automatically controlled to maintain low dissolved oxygen (< 1.0 ppm) for SNdN to occur in the same basin. Due to the low availability of oxygen, mass transfer/diffusion limitation occurs within sludge flocs and the central part of the biofloc turns anoxic while the outer part remains aerobic. This allows nitrification to be the dominant reaction in the outer zones of the flocs while the nitrate produced is simultaneously denitrified at the core.

Figure 5-3: SymBio SNdN concept using NADH monitoring

Direct monitoring of biology through fluorescent measurement of NADH content of the biomass using a sensor proved to be extremely accurate and reliable over long-term as well as non-intrusive to the plant operation. The NADH level in a biomass, maintained under a highly aerobic condition, is relatively low. The NADH level tends to increase, as the biomass is exposed to anoxic and anaerobic stages sub-sequently. This information along with DO measurement along with the dissolved oxygen from the water phase is used for process control in the SymBio® process to maintain SNdN. SymBio® concept is also applied for enhanced biological phosphorus removal along with SNdN. The required precipitants for chemical P precipitation are therefore minimized. Phosphorus removal by chemical precipitation Trivalent metal salts are used for removal of phosphorus from municipal wastewater. The most common are:

• Aluminium sullphate, • ferric chloride, • ferrous(bivalent) and ferric sulfates.

48


49

Precipitants mentioned above: Fe(III), Fe(II), Al(III) and Ca salts form in the presence of aqueous solutions of orthophosphates precipitates. The following equations represent the reactions of precipitation:

Aluminum ions combine with phosphate ions as shown by reaction: Al3+ + PO4

3- → AlPO4 ↓ so the weight ratio of the reaction is 0.87: 1 of Al to P.

The reaction of ferric ions can be illustrated by: Fe3+ + PO4

3- → FePO4 ↓ The stoichiometric weight ratio of this reaction is 1.8 : 1.

A) Process configuration Chemical precipitation process configuration is divided by groups according to dosage point and way of reaction. Basic process configurations are as following: Direct Precipitation – involves no further biological treatment. Process in which the precipitant is applied before the primary settling tank. This concept is usually applied when the receiver can adopt relatively high concentrations of carbonaceous matter and nitrogen compounds but because of the risk of eutrophication highly effective phosphorus removal is necessary (e.g. plants discharging their effluent to the sea).

B) Pre-precipitation Process preceding further biological treatment. Its scheme consists of the addition of salts fol-lowed by rapid mixing, flocculation, and (primary) sedimentation. Anionic polymers are some-times added before flocculation to enhance solids separation. Strong base is also added between addition of ferrous iron and a polymer to counteract the depression of pH. Pre-precipitation is widely used in northern countries. In 1983 28% of 370 wastewater treatment plants in Norway applied this process. Operational results of this method showed an average of 90% removal of total phosphorus along with approximately 80% removal of BOD5 and suspended solids can be obtained. Care-ful operation can lead to final concentrations as low as 0.1 g P/m3.

C) Simultaneous Precipitation Precipitating salts are added to the inlet of the aeration basin or directly to the basin. This al-ternative has a good flexibility with respect to chemical addition. This allows the choice of the proper dosage point to create best available conditions for coagulation and flocculation. The dosage point has a tendency to vary depending on the choice of chemicals, velocity gradients in the basin, and wastewater characteristics. The disadvantage of this method is that velocity gradients and turbulence levels are far from ideal conditions for rapid mixing and flocculation processes. Metal ion to phosphate weight ratio varied between 0.42 to 4.05.


50

The application of a ferrous �ulphate is an inhibiting factor to Nitrosomonas bacteria. This is a disadvantage of this method for those plants where nitrogen removal is to be achieved. Ap-plication of FeSO4 with doses over 20 g Fe/m3 resulted in a slowing down of nitrification by 20 %. Alum, on the other hand, did not create any problems while ferric and ferrous chlorides caused activation of Nitrosomonas. For higher efficiency phosphorus removal this process may be accomplished by final precipitation.

D) Post precipitation and subsequent P- treatment steps Chemicals are dosed after the secondary clarification to the inflow of tertiary flocculation and sedimentation facilities. Post precipitation is the most common phosphorus removal process in Sweden and was applied in 1980 at 87% of the treatment plants. The average concentra-tion achieved in the effluent was 0.53 g P/m3. Another method of final (“polishing”) treatment is filtration which can decrease phosphorus concentration to levels below 0.2 g P/m3. The method which combines coagulation and filtration is called contact filtration and has be-come more popular in recent years. This method is mainly used as the second of two phos-phorus removal steps following pre-, simultaneous or post- precipitation as well as biological phosphorus removal. When the P-content after the first step precipitation is between 0.8 and 1.2 g P/m3 contact filtration can reduce it further to 0.1-0.2 g P/m3 with a relatively low salt dose.

2.3.2.9 PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL BY COMBINED BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL PROCESS Phostrip was applied by Shapiro in the 70´s in the United States where it became the most popular biological phosphorus removal process that time. The sidestream flow is diverted to the anaerobic phosphorus stripper tank at a ratio approx. 10-30 % of the influent flow. This tank also plays the role of sludge thickener. Solid detention time in the stripper tank varies between 5 and 20 hours. Soluble phosphorus is released with the same mechanism as for an anaerobic/aerobic activated sequence in the activated sludge process. Soluble phosphorus is then transferred to the super-natant either by recycling the stripper underflow or by passing an elutriation stream through the stripper. The stripper tank overflow is fed to the chemical treatment tank where phosphorus is precipitated by lime addition. This can be done by the use of a separated reactor-clarifier unit for stripping an overflow or by lime addition to the overflow followed by sedimentation of the precipi-tate in the primary clarifier. Deviation from this process replaces the precipitation unit with the crystallization of phosphorus compounds in a fluidized bed reactor filled with seed crystals. This reactor has the "Crystalactor" trademark. A nearly 100% removal of phosphorus is achievable.


51

Sidestream processes operate on the basis of the activated sludge units of different kind. Both plug flow and complete mixed units are in use. Typical parameters of an activated sludge are as follows: F/M ratio 0.16-0.5 g BOD/g MLVSS, d., MLSS 1900-4000 g/m3 , HRT 2.5-5 h. 2.4 DESCRIPTION OF APPLICABLE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS SOLUTIONS Basically there a three different reactor types applied for activated sludge WWTPs which are listed below:

• Oxidation ditches • Completely mixed reactors • Plug flow reactors

2.4.1 OXIDATION DITCH PROCESS The basic oxidation ditch system consists of an influent distribution chamber, an oxidation ditch, and a clarifier. The actual oxidation ditch is a closed loop that resembles a racetrack in configuration. The mixed liquor flows in the channel of the ditch. Mostly surface aerators like mechanical brush aerators (rotors) span the channels of the ditch, with the brush partially immersed in the mixed liquor. A bridge covers the rotors and provides an access walkway that also eliminates the spray of aerosols into the air. The rotors aerate the wastewater and provide the mixing which keeps the activated sludge in suspension. The typical arrangement consists of an Anaerobic Selector and two oxidation ditches operating in the A/O or BioDenipho modes. The Anaerobic Selector (Influent Mixing Tanks) located in front of the ditches at the influent end, is divided into three stages. Each stage of the Anaerobic Selector contains a submerged mixer designed to maintain the suspended solids in solution while minimizing turbulence at the liquid surface. Following screening and grit removal, influent wastewater enters the process through the An-aerobic Selector. At the same time, Return Activated Sludge (RAS) is returned to the Anaerobic Selector from the clarifiers. The partitions in the Anaerobic Selector of the A/O / BioDenipho process provide for the staging what is necessary to ensure completion of the anaerobic condi-tioning. A mixer is installed in each Anaerobic stage to maintain solids in suspension and provide complete mixing between the wastewater and the RAS. The partitions have relatively small openings that allow the mixed liquor to pass to the next stage, but minimise the hydraulic head loss and prevent excessive back-mixing. The mixed liquor flows through the selector and is di-rected into a distribution chamber. The influent weirs, which are controlled by a PLC-based con-trol panel, control distribution of the flow between the two ditches. Flow is directed into either of the two ditches depending on the status of the process.


52

2.4.2 SBR PROCESS The SBR process is an activated sludge process in which the sewage is introduced into a Reac-tion Tank (or SBR Tank), one batch at a time. Wastewater treatment is achieved by a timed se-quence of operations which occur in the same SBR Tank, consisting of filling, reaction (aeration), settling, decanting, idling, and sludge wasting. The various stages in the sequence are as follows: Stage 1: Filling During this stage the SBR Tank is filled with the influent wastewater. In order to maintain suit-able F/M (food to micro-organism) ratios, the wastewater should be admitted into the tank in a rapid, controlled manner. This method functions similarly to a selector, which encourages the growth of certain micro-organism with better settling characteristics. Stage 2: Reaction This stage involves the utilisation of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonia nitrogen, where applicable, by micro-organism. The length of the aeration period and the sludge mass de-termines the degree of treatment. The length of the aeration period depends on the strength of the wastewater and the degree of nitrification (conversion of the ammonia to a less toxic form of nitrate or nitrite) provided for in the treatment. Stage 3: Settling During this stage, aeration is stopped and the sludge settles leaving clear, treated effluent above the sludge blanket. Duration for settling varies from 45 to 60 minutes depending on the number of cycles per day. Stage 4: Decanting At this stage of the process effluent is removed from the tank through the decanter, without dis-turbing the settled sludge. Stage 5: Idling The SBR Tank waits idle until it is time to commence a new cycle with the filling stage. Stage 6: Sludge Wasting Excess activated sludge is wasted periodically during the SBR operation. As with any activated sludge treatment process, sludge wasting is the main control of the effluent quality and micro-organism population size. This is how the operator exerts control over the effluent quality by ad-justing the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration and the Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT). In this process, the SBR Tank acts as the equivalent of several components in the conventional activated sludge treatment process, as follows:

Aeration Tank: the SBR Tank acts as an aeration tank during the reaction stage where the activated sludge is mixed with the influent under aerated conditions.


53

Secondary Clarifier: the SBR Tank acts as a secondary clarifier during the settling and de-

canting stages where the mixed liquor is allowed to settle under quiescent conditions, and the overflow is discharged to the next stage of treatment.

Sludge Return System: the activated sludge, following settling in the SBR Tank, is mixed with the influent similar to the sludge return system, except that the feed is transferred to the sludge rather than the sludge being transferred to the front end of the plant.

2.4.3 MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS MBR systems have a clear advantage where the TSE shall be reused or where the TSE is to be discharged to a sensitive area. Nevertheless also CAS systems in combination with a membrane filtration for tertiary treatment provide the same TSE quality. MBR systems cause higher operat-ing costs than conventional systems for the same through-put. O&M costs include membrane cleaning and fouling control, and eventual membrane re-placement. Energy costs are also higher because of the need for air scouring to control bacterial growth on the membranes. Designers of MBR systems require only basic information about the wastewater characteristics, (e.g., influent characteristics, effluent requirements, flow data) to design an MBR system. De-pending on effluent requirements, certain supplementary options can be included with the MBR system. For example, chemical addition (at various places in the treatment chain, including: be-fore the primary settling tank; before the secondary settling tank [clarifier]; and before the MBR or final filters) for phosphorus removal can be included in an MBR system if needed to achieve low phosphorus concentrations in the effluent. MBR systems are now often used in full-treatment applications. In these instances, it is recom-mended that the installation include one additional membrane tank/unit beyond what the design would nominally call for. This “N plus 1” concept is a blend between conventional activated sludge and membrane process design. It is especially important to consider both operations and maintenance requirements when selecting the number of units for MBRs. The inclusion of an ex-tra unit gives operators flexibility and ensures that sufficient operating capacity will be available. For example, bioreactor sizing is often limited by oxygen transfer, rather than the volume re-quired to achieve the required SRT-a factor that significantly affects bioreactor numbers and siz-ing. Throughput limitations are dictated by the physical properties of the membrane, and the result is that peak design flows should be no more than 1.5 to 2 times the average design flow.


54

2.5 COMPARISON OF MBR SYSTEMS WITH CAS SYSTEMS Table 2-4 below compares CAS plants with MBR plants. Table 2-4: Comparison of MBR Systems with CAS Systems

Process step CAS / sand Filter CAS / membrane filter MBR

Mechanical pre-treatment

yes yes Yes, fine screen (< 2 mm) re-quired to protect membranes.

Primary sedimentation optional optional optional

Secondary treatment – biological treatment

SBR, oxidation ditches, plug flow re-

actor, etc.

SBR, oxidation ditches, plug flow re-

actor, etc.

MBR in combined or split installa-tion. (Immersed membranes

have advantages against pres-surized membranes for medium

and large plants!)

Secondary treatment – Sedimentation

Yes, secondary clari-fiers are required

Yes, secondary clari-fiers are required

Not required

Separation process Gravity driven with coarse filtration

Gravity driven with coarse filtration

Fully automated with minimal chemical use

Operation Labour and chemical

Intensive

Labour and chemical

Intensive

Automatic plant operation, labour and chemical extensive.

Oxygen demand Lower Lower Higher. Additional air flow re-quired for release of coarse bub-bles needed for scouring efficiency of membranes. Be-tween 30% and 60 % of the air flow is needed for membrane op-eration.

P-precipitation yes Not required Not required

Tertiary treatment Sand filter UF-tertiary filtration Not required

Further tertiary treat-ment

Chemical Coagulation followed by sand filter

RO-filtration RO-filtration

Disinfection 2 stage disinfection. 1 stage Ozone, second stage Chlorine

1 stage disinfection with UV or chlorine

1 stage disinfection with UV or chlorine


55

The following Table 2-5 describes typical effluent figures for CAS plants and MBR-plants. Table 2-5: Comparison between process technology of CAS and MBR plants

Effluent Parameter Typical values MBR

Achievable val-ues MBR

CAS plant typi-cal values

BOD 5 < 2.0 mg/l < 0.5 mg/l < 10.0 mg/l

TSS < 2.0 mg/l < 0.5 mg/l < 10.0 mg/l

NH4-N < 1.0 mg/l < 0.5 mg/l < 3.0 mg/l

TN < 10.0 mg/l < 3.0 mg/l < 13.0 mg/l

TP < 0.3 mg/l < 0.1 mg/l < 2.0 mg/l

Turbidity < 0.3 NTU < 0.1 NTU < 10.0 NTU

SDI < 3.0

Most probable number of faecal coli-forms (MPN/100 mL) Absent Absent 2.2

Egg parasites (no/litre) Absent Absent 1.0

Worm parasites Absent Absent Absent

The Table 2-6 below compares MBR with conventional secondary treatment technology for se-lected parameters. Table 2-6: Comparison between effluent quality of CAS and MBR plants

Criteria MBR Conventional secondary treatment

Mia Milia WWTP Footprint 50 % 100 %

Water surface exposed to evaporation

20 % (big advantage in arid / semiarid areas)

100 %

CapEx Lower Higher

OpEx Higher Lower

Disinfection requirements TSE Low High

BOD removal > 99 % 90..95 %

SS removal > 99 % 90..95 %

NH4-N removal > 98 % > 80 %

P-removal > 99 % 85..95 %


56

Taking into account the local climatic conditions, serviceability and operability of the plant and the benefits which are provided by an MBR based process; the designers of the WWTP recom-mend MBR process technology for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. For more details please refer to the Final Planning Report N° 7- Part 1: Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – December 2008 – FICHTNER-HEINRICH.


57

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 3.1 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 3.1.1 CLIMATE Cyprus has a subtropical climate. Summers are long, dry and hot; winters are short, mild with limited rainfall without any spring and fall season. Starting from April to November warm and dry weather predominates and elevates the temperature up to 40 degrees Centigrade. On average the warmest month is July and coldest moths are January and February where the highest pre-cipitation occurs. There are no meteorological data special to Mia Milia/Haspolat becasue of the inexistence of any meteorogical station in the area. The only meteorological station is located nearby in Ercan, 2km east of Mia Milia. Precipitation: The annual average precipitation ıs 315 mm/a. Rainfall occurs mostly in December and January. Precipitation data are provided in Table 3-1 below: Temperature: The yearly average air temperature is 19.5º C and at maximum in the months of July and August varying from min -4,9 º C in winters to max 45,1º C in summers over the last 31 years. Humidity: The highest humidity occurs at the coastline with sea breeze and mountainous areas. Inland is much less humid and generally is dry. The highest mean daıly humidity is 71.9%, the average is 63.9 and the lowest is 61.9% from May to September. Wind: Sea breezes during the day flowing from sea to inland, during the night from inland to seashore and wind from the higher elevations of mountains towards the skirt of the mountains are mostly seen in Cyprus. The annual average wind speed is 3.26 m/sec. Wind flows mostly from west to east.


Table 3-1: Monthly Precipitation (1954-2007) METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION (mm) FOR 1954-2007 Station Number: 304 Elevation m.; Lat 35°09´N., Long 33°30´E.

YEAR JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC TOTAL

1975 0.0 82.3 4.5 57.2 100.3 8.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 21.0 21.6 120.5 415.8 1976 24.6 30.4 31.0 54.5 19.3 0.0 31.3 0.0 2.1 15.3 39.4 47.4 295.3 1977 64.9 16.0 54.9 25.5 0.0 0.3 15.0 0.0 5.3 1.6 4.7 103.0 291.2 1978 102.2 26.8 34.8 14.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.9 0.1 98.5 291.6 1979 34.9 92.4 72.9 11.8 14.9 52.6 0.0 0.0 0.2 73.4 18.2 89.6 460.9 1980 31.1 99.7 26.1 9.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.8 8.2 41.2 228.4 1981 87.1 56.1 38.7 36.9 21.3 6.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 44.7 23.0 315.1 1982 9.8 36.6 61.6 12.7 3.8 1.4 0.0 14.3 0.0 4.6 16.7 15.8 177.3 1983 41.0 33.8 38.1 26.2 37.3 9.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.0 54.5 30.4 284.9 1984 16.4 46.6 28.6 82.0 15.9 0.0 2.8 11.0 0.0 0.0 126.8 41.3 371.4 1985 36.8 24.7 35.9 19.2 20.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 21.7 13.2 46.0 220.3 1986 14.9 55.7 24.0 19.5 58.6 18.8 0.0 0.0 2.2 15.5 82.6 31.6 323.4 1987 21.0 11.5 84.2 20.8 11.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 72.0 10.9 76.2 307.8 1988 47.5 70.7 66.4 4.1 0.4 0.0 5.5 0.7 15.4 11.3 48.7 88.0 358.7 1989 101.5 5.9 25.0 0.0 0.0 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.9 36.2 8.0 32.1 211.3 1990 17.0 80.5 18.5 1.8 1.3 0.0 0.0 5.2 0.0 19.9 2.0 12.1 158.3 1991 40.5 37.3 33.9 2.9 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.6 50.9 155.3 335.1 1992 10.5 43.3 8.0 2.7 12.2 54.1 62.4 30.4 0.0 4.0 67.4 99.9 394.9 1993 33.0 42.4 72.8 4.0 72.0 5.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 34.9 7.3 272.2 1994 127.3 42.9 45.8 13.3 5.9 1.3 16.9 0.0 1.2 4.0 207.1 29.6 495.3 1995 11.3 7.6 13.5 10.0 26.2 0.0 27.5 0.0 0.0 3.4 34.6 2.8 136.9 1996 82.7 46.4 28.8 12.1 2.1 2.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 23.2 11.0 47.5 256.1 1997 6.6 79.9 64.1 38.2 8.7 8.5 0.0 0.0 20.8 23.5 75.6 47.8 373.7 1998 43.4 8.4 15.7 3.8 44.5 2.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 34.1 75.8 229.8 1999 54.3 35.7 18.6 12.1 0.8 23.9 0.4 0.0 0.7 6.3 14.2 7.1 174.1 2000 35.0 29.8 30.9 97.8 10.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.5 37.1 78.7 111.3 442.9 2001 55.9 30.8 8.4 30.1 53.2 0.0 0.0 22.1 0.0 17.3 75.8 128.0 421.6 2002 51.4 35.8 37.6 47.3 4.4 6.1 18.5 21.8 24.0 19.9 5.1 144.2 416.1 2003 43.3 95.0 118.2 49.6 2.7 10.8 0.0 1.6 0.0 6.4 5.6 80.1 413.3 2004 189.7 58.0 0.9 24.1 1.7 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 23.7 61.9 60.8 422.3 2005 65.0 17.5 15.3 13.5 24.8 10.4 0.0 1.0 0.0 4.3 96.0 5.3 253.1 2006 57.7

MEAN 48.7 44.5 37.3 24.4 18.6 7.3 5.8 3.5 2.8 16.9 43.7 61.3 314.8 MAX. 189.7 99.7 118.2 97.8 100.3 54.1 62.4 30.4 24.0 73.4 207.1 155.3 MIN. 0.0 5.9 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 2.8

58


Annual Precipitation Data

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Time (Year)

Prec

ipita

tion

Figure 3- 1: Annual Precipitation Data 3.1.2 TOPOGRAPHY As can be seen from Map 2-1- Topography /Existing Land Use, the site for the WWTP site lies on a piece of flatland. The area is flat with an elevation of approximately 100m above sea water level. The land slopes very gently towards the south east. The location of the WWTP is at the lowest point. It is not perceived that the present topography of the site requires any special considerations prior to the construction activities.

59


Map 3-1: Existing Land Use / Topography

60


61

3.1.3 GEOLOGY AND SOILS The geology of surrounding area consists of mainly pebble and gravel, sand and sandstone. Gravel, sand and sand stone areas are so called light soil which is mostly sandy with some clay and silt in it and has a coarse texture. Water drains trough hi type of soil very quickly. The balance of surficial deposits in the area, include the generally fine-grained mud of the Pedhieos river valley, and the man-made deposits of alluvial fill. Most modern alluvial and collu-vial surfaces are intensely managed with terraces and irrigation channels; some may pre-date Roman times. The Pedhieos River flows from a small, linear headwaters approximately 10-15 km long and 5 km wide that cascades north off the flank of the Troodos Mountains. The coarse bed load and the fine-grained sediment carried by the Pedhieos is derived from diabase and gabbro of the ophiolite sequence and from earlier Cretaceous and Miocene rocks that outcrop directly up-stream beyond the study area. Human activity to stabilize slopes and deposits for agricultural purposes and for re-forestation has modified the landscape and it impairs the ability to work out stratigraphic details within small-scale slope and flood-plain deposits.

The broad fluvial valley of the Pedhieos River is characterized by an old higher elevation, caliche-cemented fluvial gravel; it is graded toward the floor of the Mesaoria Valley. Inset within is a similar fluvial gravel and flood plain sequence commonly 2 to 10 meters thick. The fluvial de-posits culminate in an alluvial fan inclined toward the Mesaoria Valley. A smaller channel and in-set alluvial fan were cut and deposited to the east. This is the last natural location of the Pedhieos River. The Pedhieos River now occupies the valley bottom of the former Jinnar and Almyros River along the toe of the north directed alluvial fan. Map 3-2 that follows presents the geological formation of the study area.


Map 3-2: Geological Formation

62


63

Stakeholder conducted analysis of the land for suitability for agriculture in cooperation with Cu-kurova University, in Turkey. Suitability for agriculture as determined for Mia Milia/Haspolat re-gion is indicated in a Map 3-3 that follows, in conjunction with Table 3-2 below: Table 3-2: Suitability of Soils for Agriculture Suitability for agriculture 1 Superior – Distinguished agricultural land 2 Fairly Good - Pretty good agricultural land 3 Problematic agricultural land 4 Limited use in agriculture 5 Not suitable for agriculture

As indicated in the map the location of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is surrounded by agricultural land some of which is highly suitable and some of which is fairly suitable for agriculture.


Map 3-3: Suitability Classification for Agriculture

64


65

3.1.4 WATER RESOURCES 3.1.4.1 SURFACE WATER Pedhieos River is the only river nearby the location of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. There are small streams which are connected to the river which are non-flowing most of the time of the year (perennial streams). (Map 3-4 Existing Wells) The Pedhieos River flows through a number of urban areas including the Mia Milia/Haspolat village. The river is dried up most of the year, with the flow period estimated to 2-3 months. Pedhieos River covers a length of 90 kilometers, starts flowing from the north east foot of the Troodos, then turns with a 90 degrees angle North West of Nicosia towards east to the Mesaoria Plateau and flows through a number of urban ar-eas (eleven different municipalities on both sides). The river meets with streams that flow from the Kyrenia mountains when it runs from east to west. The riverbed of Pedhieos River has a width changing between 5 and 20 meters, depending on geomorphologic conditions. The amount of water flowing in the river bed changes with the rain-fall. The River’s natural course has been diverted in certain areas, its morphology has been al-tered either by the narrowing of its bed, the alteration of its banks height and stability or the concreting parts of the river. Pedhieos River runs through Lakatamia, Strovolos, Engomi, Agios Dometios, Nicosia and Mia Milia/Haspolat. There are no data available for the assessment of surface water quality for the Pedhieos River, as there is no surface water-monitoring network within the river basin. 3.1.4.2 GROUND WATER Surface runoff in Cyprus is available for only a few months out of the year, and therefore groundwater, which is available year round, traditionally provides the resources needed for do-mestic use and irrigation. Groundwater remains the main, most secure and low-cost source of water for both irrigation and domestic supply on the island. Nearly all the water for the non-governmental irrigation sector is from groundwater resources.

The Pedhieos River belongs to the central mesaoria aquifer, which extends from the villages of Astromeritis to the city of Nicosia. The Pedhieos River aquifer provides water to a large part of the city of Nicosia for agricultural and domestic uses. The combination of the decreasing rainfall trends in the recent decades and the more intensive extraction of groundwater required to sat-isfy the domestic and agricultural needs have resulted in the depletion of the island’s aquifers. There is no aquifer nominated and managed nor monitored by stakeholders and / or used for providing drinking water supply to any residential area including villages located nearby Mia Milia/Haspolat. Drinking water supply source of the village is provided by water distribution line coming from Degirmenlik / Kytheria well field area, which supplies water 24 villages in total in-cluding Mia Milia/Haspolat village. There are no water resources detected in the area that can be used as drinking water source. The wells in the study area are all private wells operated by individual farmers. The location of wells is presented in Map 3-4 that follows. The water level in some of the wells is provided in Table 3-3. The level of water from ground surface to water surface varies from 6,6 to 9,1 m. These values are water levels that were detected when the wells were first drilled and the water


66

level was first measured before pumping started. It is probable that the dynamic water levels are deeper. It is also probable that there are other private wells located in the vicinity of Mia Milia/Haspolat, which are not loaded to the database system.


Map 3-4: Existing Wells in the Study Area

67


68

Table 3-3: Water level in wells

serial_number alt_va owner_name borehole_purpose user_name location_n east_utm_v result_value (m) north_utm_

2001/1 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 537164,000000 3894580,000000 9,1

2004/14 106,000000 sport club of haspolat irrigation sport club of haspo-lat haspolat 537248,000000 3895214,000000

hp-1 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 537379,000000 3895081,000000 8,4 hp-10 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 539458,000000 3894950,000000 6,6 hp-11 111,000000 levent ltd irrigation levent ltd haspolat 539547,000000 3894835,000000 hp-12 111,000000 levent ltd irrigation levent ltd haspolat 539502,000000 3894820,000000 hp-13 111,000000 levent ltd irrigation levent ltd haspolat 539502,000000 3894820,000000 hp-14 112,000000 levent ltd irrigation levent ltd haspolat 539462,000000 3894871,000000 hp-15 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 539726,000000 3894772,000000 hp-16 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 539833,000000 3894722,000000 hp-17 113,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 540005,000000 3894731,000000 hp-18 110,000000 hacı ali ltd irrigation hacı ali ltd haspolat 540140,000000 3894787,000000 hp-19 112,000000 hacı ali ltd irrigation hacı ali ltd haspolat 539936,000000 3894870,000000 hp-2 0,000000 erdal orundalı irrigation army haspolat 537055,000000 3894999,000000 hp-20 111,000000 seval hanım irrigation seval han²m haspolat 540076,000000 3894856,000000 hp-22 0,000000 senol bayur irrigation senol bayur haspolat 537731,000000 3894452,000000 hp-23 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 537430,000000 3894614,000000 hp-25 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 537310,000000 3894505,000000 hp-26 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 537257,000000 3894615,000000

hp-29 100,000000 village headmen of haspolat irrigation haspolat village haspolat 538380,000000 3895269,000000

hp-3 0,000000 erdal orundalı irrigation erdal orundalı haspolat 537153,000000 3894934,000000 hp-30 111,000000 irrigation haspolat 537133,000000 3895124,000000 hp-31 118,000000 irrigation haspolat 537118,000000 3895307,000000 hp-34 95,000000 gultekin ticaret irrigation gultekin ticaret haspolat 537451,000000 3894891,000000 hp-35 109,000000 marmo ltd marmo ltd haspolat 537423,000000 3895290,000000 hp-4 105,000000 adnan aksoy irrigation adnan aksoy haspolat 539084,000000 3894932,000000 hp-5 111,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 538790,000000 3894421,000000 hp-6 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 538781,000000 3894510,000000 hp-7 110,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 538720,000000 3894580,000000 hp-8 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 538765,000000 3894601,000000 hp-9 0,000000 unknown irrigation unknown haspolat 539394,000000 3894803,000000


69

3.1.5 EXISTING NOISE LEVELS The existing noise levels in the study area depend mainly on human activities and are quite low, as the general area is mostly rural and undeveloped. Sample noise measurements, based on the methodology described in Section 1.8, showed that the existing noise levels around the existing WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat vary between 52 to 57 dB(A).

3.2 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT 3.2.1 FLORA In the proposed location of new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and nearby surrounding area there are no endemic plants detected. The following Table 3-4 indicates the kind of species (Latin, Turkish and English names) which might be found in the surrounding environment. Table 3-4: Flora Species Plant Species

OXALIDACEAE Oxalis per-caprae (Ekşilice) MALVACEAE Malva verticulata ( Gömeç ) LEGUMINACEAE Calycotome villosa (Azgan) Medicago orbicularis Trifolium stellatum (wild clover) Vicia sativa (Wıld vigo) Prosopis farcta Scorpiurus muricatus COMPOSITAE Anthemis spp. Calendula arvensis Senecio vulgaris Carduus pycnocephalus Phagnolon rubestre Urespermum picroides Cynara cardunculus Inula crithmoides (Andız otu) Helichrysum conglabatum (Ebeden ölmez) CRUCIFERAE Sisymbrium irio Sinapis alba ( Lapsana) Ericoria hispanica Cardaria draba Hirschfeldia incana RANUNCULACEAE Anemone coronaria (Field tulip: Kır lalesi)


70

GERANIACEAE Erodium malacoides GRAMINEAE Phalaris agnatica (type of meadow ) Stipa lapansis (lawn)

3.2.2 FAUNA In the proposed location of new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and nearby surrounding area there are no endemic animals detected. The following Table 3-5 indicates the kind of fauna species (Latin, Turkish and English names) which might be found in the surrounding environment. Table 3-5: Fauna Species

Animal Species

1. MAMALS CRICETIDAE

Microtus arvalis (Field Mouse) ERINACEIDAE Erinaceus europaeus ( Hedgehog)

2. REPTILES LACERTIDAE Lacerta viridis (European Green Lizard) OPHIDIA (SNAKES) Coluber jugularis (Black Snake)

3. BIRDS ALAUDIDAE Melanocorypha calandra calandra (Calandra Lark) Galerida cristata cypriaca (Crested Lark) FRINGILLIDAE Passer domesticus biblicus (House Sparrow) CORVIDAE Pica pica pica ( Magpie)


71

3.3 SOCIO-CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMMUNITIES The de-facto population of Mia Milia/Haspolat village is 3,289 according to 2006 poll results, (2,104 male, 1,185 female). The working force population is 914. Table 3-6 below indicated the details of workforce in the subject area. Table 3-6: Workforce

Gender Economic Activity

Total M F

Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 47 36 11Mining and Stone Mining 3 3 0Production 208 146 62Electricity, gas, steam and hot water pro-duction and distribution 2 2 0

Construction/ Building 139 133 6Wholesale and Retailing Commerce 149 100 49Hotels and Restaurants 23 17 6Transportation, Conveyance, Storage and Communication 25 15 10

Activities of Financial Mediators / intermedi-ary Organizations 17 6 11

Real Estate Property Rentals and Other Commercial Activities 22 11 11

Public Sector and Defense, compulsory so-cial security 131 106 25

Education 63 31 32Health and Social Services 13 5 8Other Social, Communal and Private Ser-vice Activities 23 17 6

Unknown 49 36 13Total 914 664 250

Most of the working population serves the production sector. There is an organized industrial area nearby Mia Milia/Haspolat village. In the Mia Milia/Haspolat industrial area, there are a va-riety of activities producing goods and providing to different sectors. The active production sec-tors mainly are listed in the Table 3-7 below.


72

Table 3-7: Manufacturing Sector at Mia Milia/Haspolat Area. SECTORS Printing Packaging Textile Food PVC and Aluminium Plastic Pharmaceuticals Furniture Cement Termosiphon systems and metal works Milk and milk products Water production

The industrial zone was originated in the south west of the village and has been extended to-wards east to north over the last 10 years. The industrial area is still growing with the addition of other manufacturing sector organizations and factories. The industrial area is expected to grow and expand in the future too. As it can be seen from the Table 3-6 agriculture is not the primary source income in the area. 3.3.1 LAND USE As provided in Map 2-1 Existing Land Use, Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is located on the south of Mia Milia/Haspolat industrial area. In addition to the organized industrial area, there are other industrial operations scattered in a greater area, i.e., north-east of Mia Milia/Haspolat village. The village is located in on the south of main Nicosia – Famagusta highway. The Cyprus Inter-national University is located on the north of the village, north bank of main Famagusta road. Other than the above agricultural activities are taking place in the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP area. 3.3.2 ZONING OR LAND-USE POLICIES The existing and proposed location of new WWTP falls in the borders of Nicosia Master Plan re-vision 2008. As a general rule, if there is no master and/ or construction plan designated for an area, Chapter 96 ‘ Roads and Buildings’ is being implemented in that particular area while taking any decisions and permissions on development and construction. This chapter is from British Colonial times. Chapter 96 allows development in areas next to roads in case a road exists. The Nicosia Master Plan 2008 provided zones and land – use projections for each zones. Nico-sia Master Plan delineates certain areas for different kind of activities. According to the Master Plan, the recommended / projected use of land at Mia Milia/Haspolat includes;

- Primary housing area - Future housing area - Commercial area - Industrial area - Recreation area


73

- Forestry - Agricultural area

Please refer to Map 1-1 Nicosia Master Plan – revision 2008 for details. Master Plan is the only source which provides land use policies for Mia Milia/Haspolat region. 3.3.3 PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE The public buildings include a primary and a secondary school, a university on the north of the village, parks on the south of the village centre. The main public utilities are available for the vil-lagers. Infrastructure services include electricity, drinking water distribution and telephone wiring. In response to the need for energy supply for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WTP as well as the pumping stations, it is anticipated that the responsible Electricity Department will provide the necessary electric power to the new plant without any major upgrading changes to the electricity grid. 3.3.4 PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The Nicosia Master Plan revision 2008 is the only existing source that foresees certain types of development in each zoned area. The following five development activities are the main activi-ties which are expected to be seen in the area in the future. 1] Urban Development Areas 2] New Development Areas 3] Industrial Activities 4] Wastewater Treatment 5] Agricultural Activities 3.3.5 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL PROPERTIES There is no archeologically and/ or historically important site located nearby the village or the ex-isting and proposed location of WWTP. There are no prehistoric, historic or paleontological re-sources within 1km of construction site and there is no site/facility with unique cultural or ethnic values.


74

4. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT 4.1 IMPACTS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE This Chapter deals with the assessment of the main environmental impacts that will result during the construction activities for the implementation of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat. 4.1.1 LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY Construction phase will not impose any vegetation removal or construction in wetlands or in or adjacent to a designated wildlife refuge area. Only consideration is related to the fact that con-struction will occur next to a riparian area. A riparian area is the land next to lakes, streams and wetlands. It has a high water table, occasional flooding, and many valuable benefits such as be-ing a natural habitat for various fish and plant species. The conditions of Pedhieos River and its riparian area can be classified as follows:

• Raw banks eroding and falling into the river • Water is not shaded and heats up under the sun • River banks are wide and shallow from livestock trampling • Severe grazing leaves few desirable trees, shrubs or grasses • Stream gravel is covered with sediment • Noxious weeds invade some of the areas in the riverbed leaving no habitat for fish and

wildlife • Groomed landscape nearby Pedhieos River adds runoff with fertilizers, pesticides and

soil to stream These are signs of an unhealthy riparian area. Further construction work will require delicate management of the riparian areas nearby the construction site along the Pedhieos River. The activities for the construction phase for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat are expected to create some short-term negative impacts to the biological characteristics of the study area. It should be noted that the study area is inhabited by various bird species due to the presence of the lagoons. The construction activities for the new WWTP will create temporary nuisance and some negative impacts to the terrestrial biological environment. Therefore, special attention should be given to the construction areas, which neighbor Pedhieos River Basin, since it’s an area inhabited by numerous flora and fauna species. The protection of the area can be easier achieved by setting strict restrictions in the Tender Documents that will be issued for the con-struction of the plant. However, since the lagoons will be maintained as storage for the treated effluent, the medium term impact is limited. This is further covered under mitigation measures section. 4.1.2 TOPOGRAPHY The construction activities for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat, including the pumping sta-tions are not anticipated to cause any major negative effects to the topography of the area due to the type of activities involved.


75

4.1.3 HYDROLOGY The construction activities for the implementation of the Project parameters, if not properly man-aged, are anticipated to create environmental impacts to the hydrological characteristics of the Study area, since the south bank of Pedhieos River is very close to the proposed construction site. The protection of the area can be easier achieved by setting strict restrictions in the Tender Documents that will be issued for the construction of the plant. These restrictions could include provisions for avoiding the area of Pedhieos River bed for movement of construction equipment, storage of construction materials and protecting the river area from the escape of excavated ma-terial to the riverbed. The later could be accomplished by scheduling excavation activities close to Pedhieos River during the summer period when no water runs in the river bed and the rainfall is very low. 4.1.4 NUISANCE DUSTING The potential for dust emissions may occur during earth moving activities. These activities can generate particulates that when carried along by the prevailing wind may affect people within the surrounding areas, primarily workers. Construction works and the transportation of materials via dirt roads will produce increased amounts of dust within the area of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat. Such effects will be limited in the vicinity of the study area. 4.1.5 NOISE Most of the noise generated during construction is that of the large earth-moving equipment in-cluding excavators, transportation vehicles and other heavy construction machineries. Gener-ally, construction noise exceeding 70 dB has significant impacts on surrounding sensitive receptors within 50 m of the construction site. The closest residential area is about 1.5 kilome-ters to the north-west direction of the proposed construction site, therefore the noise impact will not be significant. Noise levels will vary and the generated nuisance will depend on the work type and the type of machinery that will be used during the construction period. According to the French methodology for the definition noise levels during construction works, the following equation is used: LAeqi= LWaj – Cd + Ctf – Ce - Cr Where: d = distance between noise source and measurement point LWaj = value from Table 4-1 Ce = calibration value due to sound barrier Cr = calibration value from reflective surfaces Cd = calibration value due distance Ctf = calibration value from machine working period Ft = percentage of machinery working period in relation to the site. During the construction period there are no sound barriers, therefore Ce = 0.


76

Table 4-1: Typical Noise Levels for various Machinery Types at a distance of 3 meters Noise Levels (dBA) Type of Machinery

Maximum (max) Minimum (min)

Average

Truck 109 95 106 Loader 102 98 100 Compactor 115 100 106 Digger 110 110 110 Compressor 117 90 106 Finisher 113 107 109

The abovementioned Table 4-1 indicates that high noise levels will be generated during the construction period of the various project’s parameters. However, the noise levels that will be generated during the construction of the WWTP will not impact the acoustic environment of nearby communities. During the construction phase of the new WWTP these noise levels will constitute a minor nuisance to a small number of farmers who’s properties are near the pro-posed construction site. It should be noted however, that the impacts from the noise levels will be of short duration and the normal noise levels in the affected areas will be restored after the construction activities. 4.1.6 REFUSE SOIL AND OTHER WASTE Excavation works during construction are expected to produce refuse soils, which will need to be managed in an environmental and aesthetically correct fashion to minimize negative impacts, especially in the area near Pedhieos River Basin. The volume of excess material that will be created during the construction of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is limited due to the flat topography of the area, and excavated soils will be mainly used for backfilling activities. The remaining quantities should be transported to pre selected approved locations either for reuse or for dumping. It is anticipated that any heavy equipment used on the site will be leased from contractors and it will be their responsibility to maintain the equipment at other offsite facilities. The presence of municipal solid wastes that will be generated by the Contractor’s personnel is expected to be limited due to the short period of construction activities at the various work areas. The correct management of municipal waste from the working site is considered feasible, caus-ing unimportant negative environmental impacts. 4.1.7 VISUAL IMPACTS The proposed site that will be used for the construction of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is already environmentally deteriorated due to the presence of the existing plant. Therefore, it should be noted that no important visual negative impacts are anticipated from the construction of the new plant. Temporary anti-aesthetic features such as the construction site, temporary structures and storage dumping sites will therefore be only noticeable by the neighboring farm-ers.


77

4.1.8 LOSS OF LAND USE OPTIONS As indicated in Map 3-3 Suitability Classification for Agriculture, the existing location of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is partially classified as land for limited use in agriculture and partially su-perior quality agricultural land. The proposed expanded area for new WWTP will cover land highly suitable for agriculture, classified as distinguished agricultural land, which is the 1st cate-gory according to the classification provided by TCC. Therefore there will be a loss of high qual-ity farmlands. As indicated above, the zoning and land use policies are introduced in the 2008 revised version of the Nicosia Master Plan. The area proposed for WWTP construction is also allocated for a treatment plant construction in the Master Plan. The proposed site does not have any conflict or potential conflict with adjacent land use and does not have non-compliance with existing codes, plans and permits based on Nicosia Master Plan revision 2008. 4.1.9 MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION The construction phase of the project will increase vehicle trips to the site but may not cause any substantial congestion. This is due to the fact that access to site is not problematic, the existing roads are large and most of the industrial vehicles take the same route, the same road because of on-going industrial activities in nearby organized industrial area. Design features of the pro-posed WWTP do not impose and/or contribute to any safety hazards. The adequate access or emergency access is enough for anticipated volume of people and traffic. 4.1.10 MATERIALS STORAGE During construction phase of the project, none of the materials to be used is classified as haz-ardous material, and there are no special requirements for transport and storage. All materials will be construction type materials. All workers will be trained to ensure that they are aware of all of the hazards associated with the activity, safe use and handling of construction materials and the use of protective clothing. 4.1.11 CONSTRUCTION WASTE DISPOSAL The construction of proposed WWTP requires preparation of the site and construction of the new plant. The preparation of the site involves disassembly of the existing plant units and demolish-ing of some of the existing infrastructure. Therefore, on-site preparation will result in creation of certain types of wastes as listed in Table 4-2 below. The construction will involve grading, trenching and / or excavation, building and assembly of treatment units.


78

Table 4-2: Waste Material from the Construction Site Type of waste material from construction site (offsite overburden/waste disposal) Damaged and unusable metal framing Damaged wooden pallets Corrugated containers and cardboards Drywall Broken concrete block waste Disassembled metals (parts from treatment plant units) Masonry Hazardous waste generated from painting, sealing, staining and caulking Other Waste streams categorized as municipal waste non-recyclable plastic, stretch wrap, cement bags with plastic liners, non-paper food packaging, styrofoam, wax-coated cardboard, paint containers, hazardous materials such as automotive lubricants and hydraulic fluids, wood, metal, cardboard

4.1.12 EMPLOYMENT / INCOME GENERATION The construction phase will have an employment generation value. The contractors and sub-contractors will be recruiting skilled and non-skilled personnel for the construction phase of the project. 4.2 IMPACTS DURING THE OPERATION PHASE Operation and maintenance activities for the system components are not expected to have ma-jor negative impacts on the environmental parameters of the Study Area. On the contrary, it is rather expected that the operation of the Project will have strong positive environmental effects safeguarding the environment from the continuous disposal of untreated wastewater and the limitation of various negative impacts such as foul odours from the disoperation of the existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. The following paragraphs present the major environmental impacts from the implementation of the Project. 4.2.1 ODOUR Some of the treatment facilities are not envisaged to cause any odour pollution because odour prevention mechanisms are built into the design of the WWTP. All facilities of the pre-treatment units and the discharge station of the tanker waste are enclosed. The air will be extracted by means of blowers and conveyed to an odour removal system. The exhausted air is polluted predominant with H2S and NH3, caused by fouling processes in the sewer network. Based on the Conceptual Design the odour control system of the new preliminary treatment will be ar-ranged as a biological adsorption of the pollution using biofilter. Additional source of odour nuisance would be the sludge storage area, as well as the contain-ers/trucks that will be transporting materials from the screening process to dump site may cause odour problems too.


79

It should be noted however, that it is almost impossible to completely eliminate the presence of offensive smells, since during the system’ s maintenance works for the WWTP, the pumping sta-tions and force main offensive smells will occasionally occur creating nuisance in the surround-ing area. Therefore, odour management and odour control measures are very important, since this is a very sensitive issue for the particular site, due to the location of the WWTP which is close to residential areas. This issue is further analyzed in mitigation measures section. 4.2.2 NOISE It is expected that without the implementation of certain mitigation measures, high noise levels will rise during the operation of the WWTP form the mechanical equipment such as screening, conveyor belts, inlet facilities of septic tanker trucks, aerators and the pumping stations. It is ex-pected that noise levels will be in the range of 55 – 65 dB(A) near the WWTP, and 65 – 70 dB(A) near the aerators. Due to the fact that the proposed WWTP will be situated far from noise sensitive areas the noise pollution impacts will not be important, but suggestions for the protection of the WWTP’s per-sonnel from high noise levels are presented in Chapter 5 of the Study. 4.2.3 WATER QUALITY The operation of the whole sanitary system is anticipated to cause major positive impacts to the hydrological characteristics of the Study Area, by minimizing the contamination of the groundwa-ter, and at the same time, providing a new water source that can be used for irrigation activities (treated effluent). As of today, the housing facilities that are not connected to the network system use septic tanks and adsorption pits to dispose the generated wastewater. The continuous use of this technique causes groundwater contamination, as the untreated wastewater contains high concentrations of contaminants (BOD, COD, suspended solids and other pollutants). The construction of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP will cause inevitably positive environ-mental impacts, especially to the Pedhieos River Basin. Stopping the discharge of partially treated effluent water into or nearby Pedhieos River (this is the existing condition) will result in the improvement of the hydrological characteristics of the local aquifer and will contribute to the recharge of wells located along the river bed. Additionally, the presence of “good” quality treated water could be used for irrigation purposes in the greater Nicosia area. However, an environmental consideration from water re-use, is the effect of the reclaimed water in the groundwater quality, in cases of malfunctioning of the plant. One of the potential sources of groundwater pollution is nitrate which may be found or result from the application of reclaimed water. Additional physical, chemical and biological constituents found in reclaimed water may pose an environmental risk. Therefore, a groundwater monitoring program is required to moni-tor any potential impacts of reclaimed water. Suggestions on this topic are analysed in the next chapter of this report.


80

The risk of chemical spill affecting surface water is negligible because chemicals will either be stored as solids in specially designed and designated storage areas or as liquid chemicals in wa-tertight containers, again in specially designed and designated storage areas, and most handling will be mechanized. Furthermore, storage areas will have closed loop drainage systems with a possibility of recirculation through the treatment line. The risk of sludge percolation will be negligible for the reasons already explained above. The risk of sludge percolation due to rainfall is low, but in any case mitigation measures should be taken in order to avoid this risk, especially in the vicinity of any water sources

Emergency storage ponds will have to be designed in order to avoid the risk of uncontrolled di-rect discharges of untreated effluents into Pedhieos River. Further analysis of this issue is given in the next chapter of this report.

The entire treatment system from the plant inlet to the plant outlet will be watertight; therefore the risk of waste water percolation into the ground is negligible.

Building deep foundations will require groundwater pumping: the lack of data prevents an as-sessment of the pumping effect on the aquifer. It is reasonable to assume however that the ef-fects of pumping will be moderate to negligible. They will in any case be temporary. 4.2.4 USE OF CHEMICALS The quantities of chemicals that will be utilized at the WWTP are not considered to cause major environmental problems to the surrounding area if certain measures for the protection of the personnel’ s health and the environment are applied. It is therefore accepted that the use of chemicals for the operation of the sewage system does not cause health risks if handled prop-erly. The personnel of the WWTP must be appropriately trained in order to minimize the possibility of accidents, and special measures for the storage of the chemicals must be adopted. 4.2.5 RE-USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT 4.2.5.1 Reuse for Agricultural Irrigation The re-use of wastewater in agriculture can be detrimental or beneficial for the environment. Lat-ter case needs careful planning and management of wastewater treatment and constant moni-toring of wastewater components. Treated wastewater is an important source for many farmers in arid climates and sometimes the only available water for irrigation. Wastewater re-use offers the possibility to recycle nutrients and water and thus reduces the costs of fertilisers for farmers. On a larger environmental view it helps to save energy which is required for the production of fertilisers. On the other hand poorly treated wastewater may have negative effects on soil or water re-sources. Due to the agricultural food chain this can also imply impacts on crops, livestock and human beings.

• Potential risks and benefits


81

The potential impacts of sewage water re-use on health and environment depend largely on its quality (the physical and chemical components). In general wastewater contains following com-ponents:

Nutrients; Pathogens; Salts; Heavy metals; Organic matter; Toxic organic compounds; and Suspended solids.

Adequate treatment complying with the standards for unrestricted or restricted irrigation will minimise the risks for public health and environment. Pathogens, salts, heavy metals and toxic organic compounds are considered as primary hazard. Nutrients and organic matter are ex-pected to have beneficial effects if normal irrigation rates are applied.

• Pathogens Wastewater contains a large number of pathogens, the most prominent groups being bacteria, viruses, helminths (e.g. nematodes) and protozoa. Pathogens can contaminate crops, soil, sur-face water and groundwater (porous soils and/or high water tables make it easier for pathogens to reach groundwater). From a health perspective pathogens are a primary hazard. Therefore it is highly important that the number of pathogens is sufficiently reduced through membrane sepa-rateon and chlorination before reusing wastewater. Current situation proves that pathogens may be an issue in wastewater re-use. The number of faecal coliform bacteria which are normally found in animal and human wastes is widely applied as an indicator for human pathogenic organisms.

• Salts Salinity is the most important issue in determining the suitability of the water to be used for irriga-tion. It is measured by a set of parameters such as electrical conductivity and dissolved solids (Total Dissolved Solids = TDS). High concentrations of dissolved solids decrease productivity due to different reasons: it may interfere with plant uptake of essential nutrients, it may clog pore spaces thus destroying soil structure etc. Salinity may be an important issue as salt concentrations increase in arid climates. Wastewater will certainly increase salinity as it contains more salts than fresh water. The salinity tolerance of plants varies widely. Crops must be chosen carefully to ensure that they tolerate the salinity of the irrigation water. Soil needs to be regularly drained and leached to prevent salt-accumulation.

• Heavy metals The use of wastewater for irrigation will result in an accumulation of heavy metals in the arable soil layers. This will not have any adverse effects on crops unless they reach statutory threshold concentrations.


82

The overall situation leads to the conclusion that metal concentrations in the wastewater are low and won’t be a major issue for irrigation re-use if wastewater is adequately treated.

• Toxic organic compounds Municipal sewage normally contains concentrations too low to cause problems. Removal effi-ciency in soils is high so that the impact on groundwater and surface water is thought to be low.

• Nutrients Reclaimed water usually contains enough nutrients to supply a large portion of the plant’s needs. Most important to plants are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and boron. Negative effects on crops or livestock are highly improbable as only excess nitrates may cause poor crop quality and harm foraging animals. Excess boron also becomes toxic. A higher risk is normally posed by irrigation run-off which may contaminate underground and surface water.

• Organic matter Organic matter measured in the wastewater as BOD adds to the humic layer, enriches soil mois-ture and retains metals. Normal irrigation rates should not have any negative environmental ef-fect. 4.2.5.2 Reuse for Municipal Purposes Urban re-use of wastewater saves potable water supplies while providing reclaimed water for various purposes:

• Irrigation of public parks and gardens and school yards, playgrounds, picnic areas etc. • landscaped areas golf courses; • roadside properties e.g. highway medians and shoulders. • Fire protection; • Toilet flushing in commercial buildings; and • Laundry facilities, car washing facilities etc.

From an environmental perspective possible risks are estimated to be rather low. Studies have showed limited or no negative effects on irrigated landscape plants and soils. Some studies have in fact demonstrated that landscape plants grow faster with reclaimed water, which might be attributed to its higher content of nutrients and organic matter. The main concern is the protection of public health as pathogens in the reclaimed water can be exposed to a large number of people. Insufficient amount of residual chlorine in reclaimed water allows bacterial growth and the formation of biofilms in reservoir tanks. Irrigated areas where public exposure cannot be avoided (parks, playgrounds, toilet flushing etc.) require treatment to the level of unrestricted urban re-use. Other applications where public access can be controlled (golf courses, highway medians etc.) need treatment for restricted urban re-use.


83

4.2.5.3 Re-Use for Aquifer Recharge The re-use of reclaimed water to artificially recharge aquifers offers a great potential, however it remains a very sensitive topic due to the risks of contaminating groundwater. By recharging the local aquifer with treated effluent the potential for using the groundwater for potable use is restricted. The extent and volume of the aquifer that will be affected by recharg-ing requires excessive studies and very good knowledge of the hydrogeological characteristics of the area. Therefore, before any recharging is implemented, several studies and models have to be established to identify the extent of the impact. In order to consider artificial recharge of the local aquifer, in the case of the proposed investment project, the following parameters are at least needed:

• Physical and chemical composition of treated effluent including inorganic constituents • Available area for recharge • Water balance (volume of treated effluent, surface water flow, precipitation, evaporation,

evapotranspiration, boundary conditions of the local aquifer, etc) • Three dimensional hydrogeological data of the aquifer (geological structure, trasmisivity,

permeability, etc) • Location and number of extraction boreholes • Rate of extraction (seasonal variations) • Plants to be irrigated • Other factors

Based on the above, it is clear that several factors have to be detailed examined and analysed, prior to the implementation of any recharge of thelocal aquifer and to the establishment of the impacts to the water resources. Therefore, the environmental risk for implanting a recharge scheme is considered high until ex-tensive studies are established and verified.


84

4.2.6 RE-USE OF TREATED SLUDGE The use of treated sludge from the new WWTP for agricultural purposes is considered to be the most effective and environmentally friendly technique, as the excess quantities of untreated sludge can cause environmental damage if they are carelessly disposed of. Land spreading of treated sludge replaces the use of conventional fertilizers, since it contains compounds of agri-cultural value, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter. However, the presence of pollutants in sludge implies that the practice should be carefully done and monitored. To this purpose, codes of practice and spreading schemes have to be established, summarizing the regulatory obligations. Periods of spreading, types of culture, adequate record keeping should be described in order to manage the environmental risks. Water sources might also be affected by the spreading of sewage sludge on soil. The risk of run off to water is low as no liquid sludge will be applied. The probability of rain falling on recently sludge ground is also expected to be low due to the arid climate. In any case, sludge must nei-ther be stored nor applied in the vicinity of any water sources (water supplies, well fields, areas with high water tables). Furthermore, application of sewage sludge to soil should consider the risk of seasonal rainfalls. Transport and spreading of sludge may cause odour nuisance. Appropriate sludge treatment processes will reduce the number of pathogens in sewage sludge. Stabilisation, mechanical de-watering and treatment of sewage sludge should provide enough treatment to prevent any health hazard to animals and humans. Potential health hazards are further reduced by the ef-fects of weather and micro-organisms in the soil. Sewage sludge aimed for the re-use in agriculture must follow applicable EU and Cypriot Stan-dards which define threshold concentrations of potentially toxic elements and pathogenic organ-isms. Particularly the soil pH is an important factor that affects the availability of elements to plants. Acid soils facilitate plant uptake of phytotoxic elements which leads to crop damage. Sludge must not be applied to land with a pH less than 5.0. Proper treatment, monitoring and control of PTE and pathogens should be the best option to prevent any detrimental effect on the environ-ment. 4.2.7 WASTE GENERATION DURING THE TREATMENT PROCESSES There are certain categories of by-products that will be produced at the operational phase of the project, i.e., during the treatment of wastewater. (1) solid wastes such as coarse materials like textiles, paper, glass, sticks, cans etc. from screening process and from bar screens at the en-trance of septic acceptance station and (2) grease and fat from aerated grit chamber are the types of wastes that are going to be produced during operation of the treatment plant which re-quires careful handling. (1) Solid wastes Large solid objects, collected debris that might harm the mechanical equipment during the processes of the WWTP will be removed by bar screens, at the entrance of septic acceptance station and at the grit tank. These kinds of wastes should be disposed off the site carefully and at minimum health hazards. There will be containers for the storage of screenings and sand


85

which will be transferred to regional dump site afterwards.

(2) Grease and fat Oil and fat removed by scrappers from grit tank will be collected in a separate, sufficiently di-mensioned chamber. These kinds of wastes will be hauled with tankers and finally disposed to regional dump site. Vehicles should be inspected regularly and it should be ensured that all leaks are repaired before haulage. 4.2.8 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS The sociological and economic impacts of the project are considered to be at minimum. The proposed location of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is in use for the same purpose. The Nicosia Master Plan – revision 2008 is also delineated this area for wastewater treatment opera-tions. 4.2.9 EMPLOYMENT / INCOME GENERATION Skilled operators should be employed to operate and maintain the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP, following formal approval by the appropriate authority that the persons are competent to perform the required duties, necessary to ensure that proper operating conditions are satisfied. On the other hand, the generation of treated effluent, of “good quality” will be a motive for fur-ther agricultural activities in the area. 4.2.10 PUBLIC HEALTH Public health should be ensured by taking certain precautions on-site. Public access to the site during construction and operation phase of the project should be prevented to ensure that health hazard is kept at minimum.


86

5. MITIGATION MEASURES

5.1 INTRODUCTION The conclusions of this Study regarding the environmental evaluation of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP are based on the assessment and examination of the environmental characteristics of the Study Area, the analysis of the main activities that will take place during the construction of the plant and the environmental valuation of the operational characteristics of the various components of the plant. This Chapter describes the main conclusions/suggestions that are derived from the above as-sessment and examination. The suggestions presented in this Chapter aim at minimizing the an-ticipated environmental impacts that might be generated during the construction and operation of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. It should be noted that the implementation of the proposed measures requires in certain cases the cooperation and coordination of the activities of various organizations. Therefore, for the successful implementation of the suggestions and measures indicated in this study, involve the adoption of actions of various Public Administration Organisa-tions in both the GCC and TCC. 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN To maximise the effectiveness of any environmental measures and to simplify the monitoring of these measures it is recommended that the Tender Documents include provisions for the prepa-ration of a detailed environmental management plan in order to minimize the extent of impacts to the environment aside from already specified mitigations. The Contractor should prepare the EMP that would have to be approved by the Engineer before commencing the construction ac-tivities. The environmental management plant could include the following items, as indicated in Table5-1 below: Table 5-1: Environmental Management Plan Actions to be considened by the Contractor

Issues of Envi-ronmental Con-

cern

Proposed actions to be considered in the EMP

Pre-Construction Activities

Establish the methods and responsibilities of construction phase monitoring/ coor-dinate with relevant stakeholders and obtain agreement on indicators, frequency of review and mechanisms to resolve conflicts

Identify location of construction staging areas , assess conflicts and adjust Identify the construction schedule and implement a public information campaign on

the project and activities (timetable and duration) Prepare an approach to providing access to key sensitive receptors and keep pub-

lic informed on a regular basis Set-up communication hot-line (identify institutional responsibilities for public rela-

tions) Prepare a solid waste management plan and discuss with stakeholders Provide briefing / training to contractors staff, Soil compaction Identify all activities for which there will be soil compaction and where this is likely

to occur


87


cern


• Material and vehicle storage areas • Heavy equipment traffic • Access roads for heavy equipment

Locate these activities to avoid damage to farmland or lane that will be used for farmland later Monitor and identify all areas in which soil compaction has occurred Reinstate compacted soils:

• Loosening • Spreading topsoil • Seeding • Watering

Erosion Avoid exposing soil / open excavations to the effects of rain or pumped ground wa-ter Construct stockpiles properly Conduct earthworks in dry season Compact embankments and slopes Cover open soils with topsoil Avoid blocking natural avenues of surface run-off Reroute run-off to avoid flooding of adjacent properties Provide proper culverts and side drains for the road bed. Assess condition of the site(s) and determine if restoration or special management will be needed to avoid erosion and further degradation Prepare a plan and schedule for material extraction Consult with local community near sites regarding problems

Sedimentation Take proper measures during foundation excavation Avoid completely stockpiling near Pedhieos River

Water pollution Control vehicle washing and maintenance Monitor fuel handling Control waste disposal Require and confirm technical fitness of contractors vehicles and equipment Prepare an Emergency Response Plan:

• Accidental fuel release


88


cern


• (Worker accident) Train workers:

• Fuel handling • Waste disposal • Spill containment • First aid

Pollution of soils with hydrocarbons

Provide concrete containment area at refuelling site Enforce location for equipment cleaning and repair of construction vehicles Provide proper fuel storage Provide proper fuel handling

Air pollution Perform regular maintenance on vehicles Do not idle while standing when not necessary Control speeds and acceleration Limit traffic congestion through proper planning and operation of traffic deviations

Noise pollution Limit work to normal daytime hours Limit use of mechanical equipment near sensitive receptors Use muffled equipment if possible Inform public of time and duration of work Identify potential sources of noise exposure for workers Monitor noise levels for and hearing damage in workers Provide ear protection for key functions Control speeds and acceleration

Dust Reduce generation of dust by minimizing earth disturbance and handling when possible Cover haul trucks Control speed of construction vehicles Water soil piles when necessary Avoid traffic over stockpiles

Loss of vegetation Identify activities in which vegetation will be removed or damaged Identify important vegetative resources like the Pedhieos riverbed and consult with stakeholders on preservation Plan the sitting and construction of camp sites and staging areas carefully


89


cern


Do not remove any large trees Protect single trees in the immediate vicinity of the work site (fences) to avoid dam-age All removed or damaged vegetation should be compensated (cash or replacement)

Visual Impact Implement good engineering housekeeping practices at all construction activity sites Control stock handling, waste and spoil disposal Consult with stakeholders regarding construction waste disposal Clean streets of any construction related mud and debris Repair potholes in street and on shoulders caused by heavy equipment Put up temporary screening where needed Repair street furniture accidentally damaged during construction Restore working areas as soon as possible Remove waste to proper disposal site OR recycle Prohibit workers from throwing refuse Use stylistically uniform signage

Degradation of public health

Avoid overburdening the local health system ( i.e. noise, fire, transportation of waste material during the construction etc ) Anticipate emergency health care requirements problems

Inconvenience to households during cut-off period

Limit cut-off period (if any) as much as possible Inform customer Obtain agreement on date Provide alternative sanitary waste disposal method Operate and provide emergency complaint hotline / mechanism

Damage to sur-rounding structures / properties

Identify situations where construction activities must be done near existing struc-tures/properties Plan to hand excavate near sensitive structures/properties Maintain required distance from structure / supporting walls Avoid erosion near structures/properties


90


cern


Damage to the lo-cal road network

Reinforce road if needed in advance Clean mud tracks if these accumulate Repair road as soon as practicable or immediately if unsafe condition have been created

Disruption of ac-cess to business, services and homes

Select the route to minimize the breaking up of the streets Plan excavation; opening up and closing smaller sections quickly in congested ar-eas where possible Provide temporary bridging to maintain access Do not stockpile in such a way as to block access Inform public of duration and timing of all activities that may inconvenience them Receive and respond to complaints

Traffic disruption and Increase in traf-fic accidents

Prepare a traffic deviation and safety plan Provide properly planned and developed deviations with signs and protections as needed Post flagmen in heavy traffic areas Always maintain pedestrian access Provide adequate separation between motorized and no-motorized traffic Reduce speeds and post signs for construction workers Inspect construction vehicles regularly Train drivers in safety

5.3 MITIGATION MEASURES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE 5.3.1 INTRODUCTION Even though the wastewater treatment plant site is located at a large distance from any housing areas it is still important to implement several measures that will minimize the negative effects from the construction activities because of the vicinity of the site with the important biotopes and Pedhieos River Bed. It is understandable however, that it is impossible to implement measures that will totally elimi-nate all the negative effects to the local environment from the construction activities.


91

As indicated in the following Paragraphs, the most successful measure that will have a signifi-cant positive impact with regards to the construction phase, is the implementation of an acceler-ated schedule of construction activities and the proper construction planning. 5.3.2 ACCELERATION AND PLANNING OF WORKS Keeping the construction period as short as possible and using an effective methodology of ac-tivities, often results in the reduction of environmental impacts. Therefore, it is suggested that the Tender Documents and the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Contractor are explicit and specific regarding the construction schedule of the Project. The chronological sequence, con-struction pattern including some alternative solutions and the period that the earthworks and other important construction activities could be included in the Tender Documents. The construction schedule, main construction techniques and the duration of main construction sub-activities could be specified in general terms in the Tender Documents. The Tender Docu-ments however should require that the proposals from the Contractors should be detail and well organised. The evaluation of the proposals could include a scoring system that gives a lot of weight on the methodology and organization of activities. Furthermore, the Contractor could be contractually bounded with the time schedule and a substantial penalty could be specified in the Tender Documents in case of construction delays. The dismantling of the existing facilities could be part of the Contractor’s responsibility and this activity could be reflected in his schedule of works and methodology. The coordination with other utilities such as Electricity and Telephone authorities is essential and every effort should be made by the Contractor to coordinate his activities with these authorities. It is suggested that the Tender Documents identify the need for the Contractor to coordinate his activities with these authorities. Prior to any construction activity, all materials and equipment needed for the construction works must be available on site and the Contractor’s schedule and the construction activities (particu-larly those that might have an effect on Pedhieos riverbed) should be closely monitored by the supervising Engineer. 5.3.3 PUBLIC CONSULTATION It is proposed that the Tender Documents include the necessary provisions and requirements for public consultation related with the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. These provisions could re-quire the Contractor to keep active during his construction period a campaign that will inform the public about the work progress. This suggestion will only be effective if the necessary informa-tion is publicised on a regular schedule (for example once a month). It is recommended that the public is informed on the scheduled and status of the construction activities through the main public media using written material and videos. It would be also preferable that updating of the public on the progress of work takes place in programmed presentations in both the GCCs and TCCs. Any complains and suggestions of the public could be recorded and resolved accordingly. In or-der to achieve proper communication with the Nicosia residents the Contractor and the sewer-age organisations could encourage with their planned activities the representation of the public in scheduled meetings.


92

5.3.4 MEASURES FOR NOISE REDUCTION It is not possible to achieve substantial reduction of construction noise levels in a Project that in-volves excavations and major concrete works. As indicated in the paragraph above one method to reduce the negative effects from construction works is by accelerating the construction activi-ties. Other measures include the scheduling of construction work so that impacts on sensitive areas are avoided. One item that could be included in the construction schedule relates to the construction activities near Pedhieos River. These activities could be carried out during the summer period when the riverbed is dry to minimize any impacts to the surface water running in Pedhieos River during the winter period. In some cases additional measures can be implemented to reduce the noise pollution to accept-able levels. These measures relate to construction activities that will be implemented at the same place for long periods. It is therefore recommended that at least the operation of genera-tors or dewatering pumps and the use of air compressors that will be installed at the same place for long periods are closely monitored and regulated by the Engineer. It is proposed that the Tender Documents include appropriate provisions for the use of attenuation techniques around these equipment for the reduction of noise levels. Figure 5-1 and Figure 5-2 present examples of noise attenuation techniques that could be utilized. The Tender Documents could also in-clude provisions that require the Contractor to use and maintain his equipment as per the manu-facture’s instructions and that all necessary measures for the reduction of noise from his equipment are implemented through out the whole period of the project.



93

Figure 5-1 : Noise attenuation techniques

93


Figure 5-2 : Noise attenuation techniques

94


95

5.3.5 MEASURES FOR DUSTING NUISANCE Air pollution control measures are critical during construction to reduce emissions from construction equipment and wind blown soils. Dust will be generated during the excavation and backfilling activities for the construction of the new WWTP.at Mia Milia/Haspolat. For the reduc-tion of dust production it is proposed to include in the Tender Documents the construction re-quirements, which will alleviate this problem. The following measures are proposed:

• Use, where possible, of water or chemicals for control of dust in the decommission-ing/removal of existing structures and construction operations

• Installation and use of hoods, fans and fabric filters to enclose and vent the handling of dusty materials

• Mandatory wetting of the excavated material • Minimization of soil piling in the construction site • Covering of earth roads with the appropriate material • Use of water, chemicals, venting or other precaution to prevent particulate matter from

becoming airborne in handling dusty materials to open stockpiles and mobile equipment • Maintenance of roadways in clean condition • The perimeter of the construction site could be fenced to a sufficient height to prevent the

spread of dust. Where this is not practicable, fencing could be provided close to the source of the dust. Lightweight small mesh nylon sheeting is recommended.

• Covering transportation vehicles, enforcing speed control and selecting transportation routes to minimize impact on sensitive receptors

• Covering or spaying exposed soil or storage areas • Minimizing on-site construction material storage time • All vehicles and construction machineries shall be operated in compliance with relevant

emission standards and with proper maintenance to minimize air pollution Additionally, it is proposed that the Tender Documents include provisions for the regular cleaning of the construction site during and after the construction activities so as to keep the areas clean from waste and excavated material. 5.3.6 DAMAGES TO PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PROPERTIES Before starting the construction activities it is proposed to photograph the construction site and the neighbouring private properties in order to record the existing conditions. The photographs could be used to evaluate any damages to existing properties from the construction activities. With reference to underground utilities the Tender Documents could include specific procedures for their detection with the assistance of relevant authorities before the excavation activities are allowed by the Engineer. 5.3.7 LOSS OF LAND USE OPTIONS The proposed site does not have any conflict with zoning and land use policies introduced with the Nicosia Master Plan – revision 2008. The proposed expansion of the treatment plant will re-


96

sult in loss of land use for agriculture which is considered to be at minimum because the treat-ment plant is surrounded with land suitable for agriculture which will be available to farmers. 5.3.8 MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION The contractor and sub-contractors should be aware of general safety principles which can help reduce workplace accidents. These include work practices, ergonomic principles, and training and education of workers who will actively get involved in construction. Whether moving materi-als manually or mechanically, employees should be aware of the potential hazards associated with the task at hand and know how to exercise control over their workplaces to minimize the danger. Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) rules could be applied to mini-mize health hazards due to construction. 5.3.9 MATERIALS STORAGE It may be necessary to allocate a temporary storage area during each phase of construction. It is recommended that temporary storage area is located away from vehicular traffic and of the site of riperian area. Construction site area could be designated for material delivery and storage near the construction entrances away from waterways or the river. During rainy season, it may be necessary to store some of the materials in a covered area. It is suggested that Chemicals such as paint of other types of bagged materials are not stored on the ground but preferably on a pallet or containment. 5.3.10 DEPOLLUTION OF THE SITE FROM THE EXISTING FACILITIES It is expected that the existing lagoons and other facilities would have to be cleaned up from de-posits of organic and non organic material that was concentrated at the bottom of the facilities over the last years of operation of the WWTP facilities. It is suggested that the Tender Docu-ments identify the need for cleaning these facilities and request from the contractors to submit with their proposal a detail action plan that will be implemented during the removal and disposal of the material. If the cleaning of the facilities can not be included in the WWTP Contract then it is suggested that the owners of the plant take the necessary actions to plan the cleaning of the existing facilities (if possible) immediately after the decommissioning of the existing facilities. The following items related with the cleaning of the facilities could be considered during the preparation of the Tender Documents:

• All the wastewater in the existing facilities and lagoons could be pumped to the new fa-cilities for treatment.

• All solid and sludge deposits within the existing facilities could be forwarded in a dump

site with the approval of the local authorities.

• The emptying and cleaning of the existing facilities could be carried out immediately after the flow is forwarded to the new facilities to minimise the generation of odours.

• Construction debris from demolished structures could be reused in other construction

sites as backfill or transferred to an approved dump site.


97

• The lagoons could be modified and improved so as to use them as storage facilities for the treated wastewater.

• Measures could be implemented to avoid the production of algae in the treated wastewa-

ter storage facilities including the use of chemicals, the reduction of phosphorus and/or nitrogen in the treated wastewater.

5.3.11 CONSTRUCTION WASTE DISPOSAL The locations for disposing the waste material are not known during the conceptual design phase of the WWTP. Therefore the environmental impacts from this construction activity cannot be evaluated. However, the Tender Documents could request from the Contractors to specify the proposed disposal locations for evaluation and approval. The implementation of the construction activities will require the necessity of transporting amounts of waste excavated or backfilling material. In order to reduce the effects from the trans-portation of this material it is proposed that the Tender Documents include instructions and ap-propriate provision that prohibit the movement of construction vehicles through the housing sensitive areas of Nicosia. The areas that are located near Pedhieos Riverbed are considered environmentally sensitive and should be avoided for the disposal of waste materials. This requirement could be reflected in the Tender Documents. 5.3.12 SAFETY MEASURES In order to reduce the construction accidents it is proposed that the Tender Documents require from the Contractor to prepare a Health and Safety Plan. The Contractor could be also obliged through the Tender Documents to assign a Health and Safety specialist in his team to coordinate the implementation and the updating of the Health and Safety Plan as required The installation of adequate lights and warnings sign and other safety means that are required must be strictly followed by the Contractor It is recommended that the Tender Documents are specific and strict with regards to the implementation of safety measures, which will be imple-mented during the construction activities. In the absence of any Health and Safety Local Regula-tions it is proposed that the Tender Documents refer to European and other international Regulations and Codes of Practice that the Contractor must follow during the construction activi-ties. 5.3.13 LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY Due to the fact that the construction will occur next to a riparian area, a riparian buffer could be developed that cushions the negative impacts of the activity and negative impacts that land and water may have on each other. The Contractor should include in the EMP a methodology of construction activities and measures with regards to the protection of natural habitat within and close to the construction site.


98

5.4 MITIGATION MEASURES DURING OPERATION PHASE 5.4.1 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE DETAILED DESIGN OF THE WWTP It is suggested that the following items are considered during the design of the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. It should be noted that if any of the suggestions below are outside the scope of the design and construction of the WWTP then the implementation of the suggestions could be undertaken by the owners of the plant in order to achieve the best possible environ-mental performance and provide the conditions for reducing the impacts to the environment:

• The existing lagoons at the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site could be retained and be used for the storage of the treated effluent by the owners of the plant. The final storage volume needed for the treated effluent could be determined at a later stage by the owners of the plant in consultation with the responsible reuse authorities. In any case the storage ca-pacity of the facilities that will receive the treated effluent should be enough to accept the treated effluent during the wet period and should have such a hydraulic volume, to en-sure that the quantity of the supply is adequate to meet the user’s demand. It is recom-mended that the treated effluent lagoons are lined with membranes. It is also recommended that the depth of these lagoons is increased and the surface area is kept to the minimum in order to minimise the evaporation of the treated effluent. It is stressed that this item is not included in the proposed project activities therefore the treated efflu-ent storage and reuse scheme should be resolved by the owners of the WWTP at a later stage and in accordance with the inflow conditions (quantity of wastewater received by the plant over its life time).

• Part of the area now covered by the existing ponds could be used as emergency storage

volume in cases of treatment plant failure or in cases of excessive maintenance activities at the new WWTP. Since there facilities are not part of the project it is suggested that a risk assessment is carried out by the owners of the plant to estimate the required emer-gency storage volume. It is recommended that the emergency storage lagoons have a concrete surface to prevent any seepage of wastewater in the underground.

• The existing administration and the other support buildings, are rather small, and should

be abandoned. It is suggested that the new facilities could be big enough to provide the space requirements for the larger staff that will be needed to operate the future plant. Also, it is suggested that the new laboratory are furbished with the necessary equipment for the everyday operation and monitoring of the WWTP. The equipment at the labora-tory could provide the capability for the following analyses (is noted that the list can be changed by removing or adding items by the designers – some or other analyses can be carried out by a private lab):

- BOD - COD - Total, Dissolve and Suspended Solids - Total Nitrogen, Nitrite and Nitratre - Phosphorus - Bacteriological analysis - Dissolved oxygen - Turbidity


99

- Conductivity - pH - Free chlorine

• The existing workshop and storage areas are small and should be abandoned. It is sug-gested that the new facilities are furnished with modern equipment and tools that provide the capability for maintenance and basic repair of all equipment of the plant.

• It is suggested that all construction materials and activities that will be utilized for the

WWTP are in accordance with EU and Cyprus Standards. In any care the Tender Docu-ments should indicate the acceptable the standards that should be followed during the construction and operation of the WWTP.

• As indicated above adequate emergency short term retention capacity storage holding

ponds or tanks to divert and retain reclaimed water of unacceptable quality for retreat-ment or alternative disposal should be constructed at the treatment plant site. Appropri-ate pumping facilities could be provided at the emergency storage lagoons for the partly treated wastewater to return back to the process for full treatment.

• It is suggested that stand-by units are provided for the electromechanical equipment that

directly control treated effluent quality (aerators, pumps, screens, drives etc). These stand-by units could be installed in full function mode so that they can automatically op-erate in case of malfunction of the duty units.

• It is suggested that operation monitoring systems that electronically record the various

system parameters me installed. The most important parameters that could be recorded, include the following:

- Influent flowrate; - influent temperature; - dissolve oxygen concentration in the aeration tanks; - free chlorine concentration in the effluent; - returned sludge flowrate; - operation timers for pumps and blowers; - quantities of treated effluent and sludge.

• The following devices could be installed for the continuous monitoring of the WWTP op-

eration: - Influent pH measurement device for inflow; - Airflow meters for the aeration system; - air temperature and air pressure devices at the outlet of the blowers; - wastewater pressure gauges in all pumps; - flowmeters in all chemical dosage systems;

• Stand-by units for power supply could be installed, such as a generator and a separate

electricity line that will be used in case of power failure of the main electricity line. The spare system must be in full function and able to operate automatically when power fail-ure incidents occur.

• During the detailed design of the WWTP the need for maintenance activities for the vari-


100

ous system parameters could be considered (such as the cleaning of the system’s tanks). It is suggested that the Tender Documents include the necessary provisions so that the tanks are designed and constructed in isolated sections in order to allow mainte-nance activities without disrupting the treatment process.

• Protective gear for the personnel and fire extinguishers must be installed at appropriate

places.

• Sufficient lighting must be installed at all the parts of the WWTP.

• It is suggested that telephone lines are installed and connected with telemetry systems so that the personnel is paged in cases of malfunction.

• The WWTP site must be fenced. It is suggested that the main gate is guarded with a

close TV system.

• It is suggested that storage rooms for all chemical substances that are used at the WWTP are constructed. The storage room should be sufficiently aerated and health and fire protection gear should be installed, such as fire extinguishers, goggles, gloves, oxy-gen masks at appropriate places.

• It is suggested that room for maintenance activities is provided. • The spare pumps should be usually at regular intervals in order to remain in full function

and be used when needed. The Tender Documents should include provisions so that the necessary detailed Operation and Maintenance Manuals for all subsystems are pro-vided by the Contractor.

• Odour control systems must be used for minimizing offensive smells in the screening fa-cilities and in the facilities that will receive septage.

• The selection of the type of the odour control system should consider the efficiency, the

cost effectiveness and the easy of installation and maintenance.

• It is suggested that the sludge storage facilities are aerated to prevent the generation of odours or connected to the odor control system of the plant.

• Aeration piping should be constructed by non-corrosive materials.

It is suggested that a SCADA system is installed for the continuous monitoring of the sys-

tem parameters. Any malfunction incidents should be recorded, providing details of the problem that occurred. The SCADA system should be able to instantly inform the per-sonnel for the occurring problem.

It is also suggested that the following items are taken into consideration in order to minimize possible accidents or malfunction of the treatment system:

• Variable frequency pump drives could be installed on the larger systems in order to main-


101

tain continuous and stable inflow. • The use of high efficiency blowers and diffusers is considered as a very important issue.

During the detailed design of the system, emphasis should be given at the selection of the blowers and diffusers. Energy efficient systems could be utilized as the aeration sys-tem is considered to be the main source of energy consumption in a WWTP. The Ten-der Documents could include provisions that promote the use of energy efficient aeration systems.

• It is recommended that all motors and pumps are of high efficiency in order to minimize

the energy consumption. Tender Documents should include provisions that promote the use of energy efficient motors and pumps.

• It is recommended that chemicals are added by electronic devices in order to decrease

leakages and accidental overdosing. The Tender Documents could include provisions for the use of electronic dosing equipment

• The blowers should be installed in noise-insulated areas.

• Dissolved oxygen in the aeration tanks must be constantly monitored.

• If a gas chloride disinfection system is used, then all necessary safety precautions should

be included in the detail design since gas chlorine is extremely toxic and can cause fatal accidents.

• The sampling system during the operation of the plant could include the means for

automatic preparation of composite samples from various points of the plant, such as the inflow and the outflow points.

• It is good environmental engineering practice to use different colours for piping and

equipment for every system component.

• All necessary provisions should be included in the design and Tender Documents for protection against hazardous areas (if any) and the use of explosion proof equipment.

• A comprehensive quality assurance program could be implemented during the operation

of the plant to ensure accurate sampling and laboratory analysis protocol. A quality as-surance program could include: (1) selecting the appropriate parameters to monitor and, (2) handling the necessary sampling and analysis in an acceptable manner. Sampling techniques, frequency, and location are critical elements of monitoring and quality assur-ance.


102

5.4.2 ODOUR CONTROL The detailed design of the WWTP should take into account the use of odour control systems in order to eliminate any possible odour nuisance from the presence of offensive smells from the operation of the system, as odour is an important and sensitive issue that should be managed properly to minimize the public nuisance. Odour producing substances commonly include hydro-gen sulfide (H2S), ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane, and organic substances such as in-doles, skatoles, mercaptans and nitrogen-bearing organics (EPA/625/1-85/018, p.3). Where an odour problem is identified during the operation of the plant, a monitoring program should be developed to characterize the severity of the problems and to identify the sources of odour and corrosion. Such a program could involve careful sample collection and analysis, fol-lowed by interpretation of the data. Because collection of samples or inspection in WWTP facili-ties can be hazardous, the operators and maintenance workers must be familiar with the potential dangers of confined spaces in contract with wastewater and must strictly observe ap-propriate safety practices. During the operation phase, there are various potential sources of foul odours that can be a nui-sance to the neighbouring communities. Mitigation measures to minimize the potential odour problem will include: (i) isolation of the operational zone, (ii) enclosing of potential sources (iii) provision of odour elimination facilities, (iv) timely transport of sludge dredged out during mainte-nance of the facilities in closed tankers to sanitary facilities for final disposal. It is suggested that odour control systems are installed at the preliminary treatment facilities of the WWTP. The odour control systems must be easy to use, energy efficient and cost effective. According to the conceptual design, the use of biofilters has been selected for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. This technology is considered environmentally acceptable. A typical setup of a biofilter for the elimination of offensive odors is indicated on Figure 5.4


103

Figure 5-4: Typical setup of a biofilter system. The inlet facilities, the septage receiving facilities and the primary treatment processes of the proposed plant, as the main odour causing units, will be placed in closed buildings where air from this building will be extracted and treated in the odour-biofilters to minimize the nuisance. The air will be extracted by means of blowers and conveyed to the odour removal system. The exhausted air is polluted predominant with H2S and NH3, caused by fouling processes in the sewer network. 5.4.3 NOISE CONTROL Excessive noise can be reduced by the careful detail design, selection and installation of ma-chinery. Noise levels within pumping and aeration facilities can be reduced by the use of sound absorbent lining. Transmission of noise between compartments and from the building could be reduced by the use of heavy imperforate building materials or of discontinuous construction. The use of double-door vestibules and double glazing with a large air gap is also effective. To control and minimize the effect of noise pollution during the operation phase of the project all the source of noise could be mitigated with the following measures;

- Plant and equipment could be fitted with silencers and acoustic enclosures as required to meet regulatory noise limits

- All mechanical equipment such as screening, conveyor belts, inlet facilities of septic tanker trucks, aerators and mainly pumps could be located in closed areas / buildings in-between walls with insulation materials; If this is not possible, the equipment could be covered with acoustic barriers or shields.

- Selection of equipment that produce less noise could be exercised (ie drives with low revolutions per minute)


104

5.4.4 PROPOSED MEASURES FOR THE MONITORING OF TREATMENT AND RE-USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT In order to maintain good quality for the treated effluent and to eliminate any possible negative impacts from the use of low quality treated effluent, the following measures could be taken in ac-count (the Tender Documents could include provisions for the implementation of these meas-ures):

• The concentration of various parameters of the effluent such as BOD, COD, pH and SS could be checked two or three times a week during the first six months of the WWTP op-eration. If the results are proved to be consistent and within the legitimate levels (see Table 5-2), then the parameters could be checked one or two times a week based on the outcome of the results.

• The concentration of free chlorine should be recorder continuously.

• Sampling and chemical analysis of untreated wastewater during the first six months of

operation could be conducted at least once a week.

• The Stakeholders and/or the operating personnel of the WWTP should keep records of all the activities and chemical analysis results for the operation of the WWTP. It is sug-gested that this record is submitted to the competent authorities once every three months for further assessment.

• It is suggested that once every year an assessment of the treatment results is carried out

by an independent organization or consultant. The results could be forwarded to the competent authorities for approval and information. It is also recommended that the re-sults of the yearly evaluation are made available to the public through the internet.

The following options for the use of treated wastewater were considered during the preparation of this EIA:

1. Use of the treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation in the Nicosia Area. 2. Transfer of the treated effluent in areas other than Nicosia District. 3. Recharge of the local Pedhieos aquifer.

The use of treated water for irrigation purposes is constantly encouraged in Cyprus during the past years. Therefore, numerous practices have being implemented, in order to set the proper standards for the protection of public health and the environment from the use of treated waste-water. It should be noted that the use of treated effluent for irrigation purposes is widely used in the south part of Cyprus with excellent results. Out of the three options indicated above the most promising and environmentally viable is the option that defines the use of the treated wastewater for the irrigation of agricultural land in the vicinity of Nicosia District. The use of treated wastewater from Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP in the Nicosia District for irriga-tion purposes will greatly improve the existing practice which is the disposal of low quality treated wastewater in the Pedhieos riverbed. This technique has been practiced the last few


105

decades and because of the low quality of the treated effluent it can be safely assumed that the quality of the local groundwater has been negatively affected. The transfer of treated wastewater from Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP in areas other than the Nico-sia District for irrigation purposes is another option for consideration but since this is such a large and complex matter, an independent study is warranted. The final selection of the crops and cultivated lands that will use the treated effluent for irrigation should be carried out according to the local standards and practices. The approval of the areas and cultivations that will be irrigated should be set with a Disposal Permit that will be issued by the competent Authorities. The selection of type of crops to be irrigated should take into account the need for keeping a balance between the effluent production, and the irrigation needs taking into account evaporation loss. If the demand for treated wastewater in the wider Nicosia area is not sufficient to balance the production then it is recommended that other users in nearby agricultural communities are con-tacted to absorb the remaining treated wastewater. An effort should be exercised to transfer the remaining treated wastewater with gravity systems. The last option for the disposal of the treated wastewater is the artificial recharge of the local aq-uifer through Pedhieos riverbed. This technique offers a great potential, however it remains a very sensitive topic due to the risks of contaminating groundwater in case of plant malfunction. Therefore, the implementation of this technique will require very close monitoring of Pedhieos River and of the local aquifer. It is highly recommended that this option is avoided at least during the first five years of operation of the plant and until all the necessary studies are carried out. The use of "lower quality" treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation may result in human ex-posure to pathogens or chemicals, creating potential public health problems. Protection of the public health can be improved by:

• Reducing concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, parasites and enteric viruses in the treated wastewater generated at the WWTP

• Controlling toxic chemical constituents in treated wastewater.

• Limiting public exposure (contact, inhalation, ingestion) with the treated wastewater.

• Continuous monitoring of the quantities of treated wastewater and monitoring the end

use quantities. Taking into account the above, it is suggested that the end users of treated water are informed and educated on the protective measures that they should exercised when using the treated wastewater in their farming activities. The education could concentrate on issues like:

• Use of protective wear during contact with treated water (gloves, goggles, etc).

• Avoid direct exposure with the treated effluent.

• Exercise personal hygiene after using treated effluent for irrigation purposes.


106

The Table 5-1 below presents the treated wastewater quality standards that should be met be-fore it’s used for irrigation purposes (identical standards are used for other wastewater treatment facilities in the south part of Cyprus as per the Republic of Cyprus Bylaw 269/2005). Table 5-1: Quality Standards for Irrigation of Treated Wastewater

Types of Cultiva-tion

ΒΟD5 mg/L

Suspended

Solids mg/L

Feacal Coliforms/ 100 ml

L Eggs of intestinal worms/l

1 All cultivation types(a)

10*

10*

5* 15*

0

2 Fields with unlimited public access Food crops not commercially processed (b)

10* 15**

10*

15**

50*

100**

0

3 Food crops commercially processed and grass areas with limited public ac-cess

20* 30**

30* 45**

200*

1000**

0

4 Agricultural crops

20* 30**

30* 45**

1000* 5000**

0

5 Industrial crops 50* 70**

-

3000* 10000**

-

a = treatment should use industrial processes b = treatment should use stabilization tanks with a long period storage * = values for less than 80% samples ** = maximum acceptable value Therefore, the proposed treatment facilities for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP, are considered as an excellent environmental improvement and at the same time they offer the opportunity to up-grade by far the quality of the treated wastewater in a way that it meets the local and EU stan-dards. Several quality parameters should be monitored continuously or according to pre-specified peri-ods as set in the local practice and by international standards. It is suggested that the following Quality Standards are used by the operator of the plant for setting the monitoring program for safekeeping Public Health:


107

• Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (American Public Health Association).

• Handbook for Analytical Quality Control in Water and Wastewater Laboratories (EPA). • Methods of Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes (EPA). • Handbook for Sampling and Sample Prevention of Water and Wastewater (EPA).

The WWTP operator should carefully and thoroughly examine the EU directives and the local legislation and prepare a monitoring program for the treated wastewater that will be used for irri-gation. The authorities should set quality limits for all the parameters, including a detailed pro-gram for sampling, preparation of tests and presentation of the results. In any case, it is suggested that the effluent quality parameters are checked in preset time intervals. Especially during the first year of operation the sampling rate and preparation of composite samples must be strictly followed, in order to detect any quality problems. Table 5-2 below indicates the pro-posed monitoring program that could be kept throughout the first year of the operation of the system.


108

Table 5-2: Monitoring and Sampling Suggestions for Treated Wastewater Parameter Number of Tests Number of Samples

Flow rate pH BOD5 COD Suspended Solids Heavy Metals Phosphorus, Nitrogen, ΝΟ3 and ΝΗ4 Free Chlorine Feacal coliform count Salinity Enteric viruses

Continuous Measurement and Log-ging (Use of electronic equipment)

Once daily (Composite sample)

Twice weekly (Composite Sample)



Once monthly

Once monthly (composite sample)

Continuous Analysis and Logging (Use of electronic equipment)

Once weekly (composite sample)



--------

1 every 6 hours

1 every 1 hour for 24 con-tinuous hours

1 every 1 hour for 24 con-

tinuous hours


1 every 6 hours for 24 con-

tinuous hours


-------------------

1 every 6 hours for 24 con-tinuous hours

1 every 6 hours for 24 con-

tinuous hours 1 every 6 hours for 24 con-

tinuous hours

5.4.5 PROPOSED MEASURES FOR THE TRANSFER AND USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT The following measures could be adopted during the design and implementation of the transfer and reuse system of the treated wastewater:

• The sewage treatment and disinfection systems must be kept and maintained continu-ously in satisfactory and effective operation so long as treated sewage effluents are in-tended for irrigation and according to the license issued under the existing legislation.


109

• The treatment and disinfection plant must be checked every day and records to be kept of all operations performed according to the licensing instructions. A copy of the licence should be kept for easy access within the treatment facilities.

• All outlets, taps and valves in the irrigation system must be secured to prevent their use

by unauthorized persons. All such outlets must be colored red or purple and clearly la-beled so as to warn the public that the water is unsafe for drinking.

• No cross connections with any pipeline or works conveying potable water, should be ex-

ercised. All pipelines conveying treated effluent must be satisfactorily marked and col-oured as to distinguish them from domestic water supply. In unavoidable cases where sewage/effluent and domestic water supply pipelines must be laid close to each other the sewage or effluent pipes should be buried at least 0.5 m below the domestic water pipes.

• It is suggested that the treated wastewater is metered at the source ie at the WWTP fa-

cilities. • All exposed piping and points of delivery could be tagged and labelled with proper word-

ing in order to avoid accidental misuse.

• All delivery points could be provided with a water meter for recording and billing pur-poses.

• Close monitoring of the use of the treated wastewater by the authorities should be exer-

cised at the farmer’s level to avoid misuse of the treated wastewater.

• The use of high angle sprinklers during irrigation should be prohibited.

• Storage of treated wastewater at the farmer’s facilities should be avoided. If storage is permitted then the storage facilities should be fenced and proper signs should be used to notify people about the source of the stored water.

5.4.6 PROPOSED MEASURES FOR THE TREATMENT OF SLUDGE The management program for processing the excess solids (sludge) from the WWTP should ad-dress the following key criteria:

• Mechanical Reliability; • Flexibility; • Protection of the environment; • Protection of public health; • Acceptability by the affected groups; • System Operability; • Sustainability; • Long - term service ability.

With the adoption of the treatment process for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP, it is also im-


portant to define available sludge application options in order to select the most economic and effective treatment sludge process, which may vary according to the final disposal site. It is sug-gested that the most effective sludge application option is agricultural utilization of sludge, where processed sludge is used as a source of fertilizer nutrients and/or as a soil amendment to en-hance crop production. Agricultural application of sludge can be widely used in the surrounding areas, particularly in the areas near the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the agricultural areas in the wider Nicosia region. The existing agricultural activities in the surrounding areas are mostly related with food crops, therefore the method that will be selected will have to take into account the related EU directives (see section 6.2) and the limits set for the disposal of pollutants (mostly heavy metals) on the ground. The processes that are applied to the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP for the treatment of sludge are the following:

DEWATERING

110

STABILIZATION CONDITIONING THICKENING Solid Bowl Centrifuge Anaerobic Di-

gestion POLYMER ADDITION Gravity

Or Belt Filter Press

The above processes are considered as environmentally adequate for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP case since the end product can be safely used for soil conditioning in agricultural land. Analytically, the above processes for the treatment of sludge could be described as follows: Thickening Low-force separation of water and solids by gravity. Thickening increases concentration of sludge removing water, thereby lowering sludge volume. By the thickening process, sludge in-creases solids concentration by removing water, thereby lowering sludge volume. Anaerobic Digestion Anaerobic digestion of sludge reduces the volatile and biodegradable organic content and the mass of sludge by converting it to soluble materials and methane. It also reduces pathogen lev-els and controls putrescibility and odour.

TREATMENT Composting or

Lime addition or Green Houses (this item is for the owners of the WWTP to

resolve and it is not included in

the design of the WWTP)

DISPOSAL Land Spread

(this item is for the owners of the WWTP to

resolve and it is not included in

the design of the WWTP))


111

Conditioning By conditioning sludge dewatering characteristics and compatibility and stabilization are im-proved. Conditioning may also increase the mass of dry solids to be handled and disposed with-out increasing the organic content of the sludge. Dewatering Separation of water and solids for thickening of sludge. It is suggested that the best applicable techniques for sludge dewatering are Solid Bowl Centrifuge or Belt Filter Press. The dewatering process increases solids concentration of sludge by removing much of the entrained water, low-ering its volume. The process also removes some of the nitrogen concentration and other solu-ble materials. This process improves ease of handling by converting liquid sludge to damp cake. Composting - Lime Treatment Composting is an aerobic process that involves the biological stabilization of sludge, and it can be conducted in by the use of a windrow, aerated static pile or vessel. By composting the bio-logical activity lowers significantly reducing most of the pathogens. Composting degrades sludge to a humus-like material and it increases the sludge mass due to the addition of bulking agents. The end product can be used for agricultural purposes. Lime treatment is a method used for the destruction of micro organism in the sludge through pH adjustment. Pictures 5-1 and 5-2 present composted sludge piles in a real case scenario.


Pictures 5-1 and 5-2: Composted Sludge

112


The conceptual design for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP calls for the storage of dewatered sludge on open spaces. Under certain conditions the storage of dewatered sludge can generate odours and can attract flies and mosquitoes, with adverse consequences to the local environ-ment. Therefore, even though this technique can be acceptable from the technical and financial point of view for the Mia Milia/Haspolat/ Haspolat WWTP site (which is located at a safe distance from any housing areas), it is recommended for environmental reasons to consider the use of more advance techniques for the final management of the dewatered sludge. These techniques should be implemented by the owners of the WWTP since they will have to arrange for the final disposal or land application of the treated sludge. An advanced technique than can be used for the final handling of dewatered sludge is the use of close solar greenhouse which offers a constantly optimal climate for extraction of water from the dewatered sludge due to an aeration system. Plant control is managed by measurement of the absolute humidity and absorption potential of the air. Part of this process is a control system that coordinates drying and energy consumption by means of ventilators and skylight windows. The use of solar drying offers the advantage of reducing the volume and increase of the stability of the sludge and therefore the transportation cost. Also the use of solar drying and the keeping of the sludge in a control environment allows for the storage of sludge for longer periods. It should be noted that the use of sludge in agricultural activities in Cyprus can only take place in limited periods when the fields are free from plants and the weather allows the use of sludge as a fertiliser or a soil conditioner. Figure 5-5 illustrates the beneficial role of solar drying in the sludge management framework.

Figure 5-5: Solar Drying Benefits

113


In the case of solar drying and in the proposed treatment, sludge is fed to several green-houses, where it is spread and dried by solar energy. In order for the drying process to be enhanced and accelerated, each unit (green-house) is equipped with a turning and promoting system and an aeration system. Due to the local climate no external heating is required. The sludge is fed from the dewatering unit, into a distributing screw, which is steadily filling. When the filling level inside the screw has reached a specific level, a floor flap opens and the sludge is evenly distributed onto the dryer surface. The bottom flap and distributing screw are self-cleaning when opening. At the end of the dryer table the dried granulate falls into a trough, which is equipped with a belt conveyor. The belt transports the dried sludge into a container. In that way raw sludge is fed to the one side of drying table and dried sludge is automatically removed on the other side, without the need of manual handling of the sludge or contact of per-sonnel with sludge. The heart of the Solar Dryer is the sludge turning system, which ensures gentle pelletisation and transport of the sludge, while restacking the sludge completely. The material to be dried is lifted and laid down again by shovels. The sludge is completely restacked. Moist sludge is continu-ously brought up to the surface where it dries. Hardly any dust is produced with this gentle processing method. The turning machine with its shovels travels over the full width of the greenhouse, which ensures safe aeration and thus the aerobic condition of the sludge. Undesired odours are minimised since the sludge is stabilised. Pictures 5-3 to 5-8, illustrate some key features of the solar drying system.

Picture 5-3: Example of solar drying halls showing open roof flaps

114


Picture 5-4, 5-5: Example details from the interior of the solar drying halls

Picture 5-6: Typical solar drying hall arrangement

Picture 5-7: End product from solar drying

115


116

For monitoring purposes and in order to minimize any possible negative impacts from the dis-posal of processed sludge, a monitoring scheme must be prepared and applied when processed sludge is given away for further use. The following data should be monitored during the man-agement of the processed sludge:

• Name and address of the person buying processed sludge. • Facility name, mailing address and exact location of the place where sludge will be dis-

posed of. • The amount of sewage sludge received and used. • Listing of the plants where sludge will be used for (if sludge will be used for agricultural

purposes). • Name and address of any other persons receiving/using processed sludge other than

the buyer. 5.4.7 CHEMICALS AND OTHER OFFENSIVE SUBSTANCES The quantities of chemical substances that are needed for the operation of the WWTP are con-sidered quite low, therefore no special monitoring program according to the SEVESO Directive is needed. The following suggestions should be taken into account for preventing any possible accidents and negative environmental impacts from the misuse of chemical substances during the WWTP operation:

• Chemical substances could be stored in a well ventilated and insulated room, in order to prevent the possibility of accidental spills or fire. The storage room should be equipped with fire extinguishers, emergency exits, ventilation system and other equipment. All chemicals must be properly signed and informational signs are placed for preventing misuse of the substances.

• Only authorized personnel must be allowed to enter the chemical storage room. For this

reason, an electronic monitoring system could be applied in order to prevent unwanted entrance within the storage room space.

• Protective gear such as goggles, oxygen masks, gloves and protective uniforms must be

used when handling chemicals.

• The chemicals must be added by the use of dosimeter systems, and all quantities are logged electronically.

• Specialized personnel will only be allowed to carry chemicals to and from the WWTP

area and this action should be done following strict standards.

• A record for all chemicals should be kept.

• Any hazardous waste must be placed in sealed vessels and handled according to the legislation.


117

5.4.8 AWARENESS CAMPAIGN It is proposed that the GCC and TCC related Stakeholdres start, prior to any operational activi-ties of the WWTP, a campaign for information and awareness of the farmers for benefits of the reuse of treated effluent and treated sludge in agriculture. Farmers will need advice and guid-ance, especially during the initial phase.


118

6. LEGAL FRAMEWORK 6.1 URBAN WASTEWATER TREATMENT DIRECTIVE 91/271/EEC The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC (21 May 1991) concerns the collection, treatment and discharge of urban wastewater and the treatment and discharge of wastewater from certain industrial sectors in the member states of the European Union. It is the overall ob-jective of the directive to protect the environment from the adverse effects of the above stated wastewater discharges. Requirements for Wastewater Treatment According to Article 4 of the Directive 91/271/EEC, urban wastewater entering collecting sys-tems in the member states of 1991 had to be treated by means of secondary (biological) treat-ment or an equivalent treatment before discharge. Requirements for Effluent Load According to the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC and the Directive 98/15/EEC Amending Directive 91/271/EEC the following requirements for the discharge from urban wastewater treatment plants shall be applied in the European Community Countries: Table 6-1: Effluent Standards Required acc. to EC

Parameter Max. Value in Percentage of reduction Requirement for normal area

BOD 25 70 % to 90 % COD 125 75 % TSS 35 (for WWTPs with more than 10,000

PE) 60 (for WWTPs with 2000 till 10,000 PE

90 % (for WWTPs with more than 10,000 PE)2)

70% (for WWTPs with 2,000 till 10,000 PE)2)

Additional requirements for sensitive areas Total P 2 (for WWTPs with 10,000 till 100,000

PE) 1 (for WWTPs with more than 100,000 PE)

80 %

Total N 3) 15 (for WWTPs with 10,000 till 100,000 PE) 4) 10 (for WWTPs with more than 100,000 PE)

70 % to 80 %

1) reduction is in relation to the load of the influent 2) This requirement is optional 3) Total Nitrogen means the sum of Kjehldahl nitrogen (NH4-n + organic N) + NO3-N+ NO2-N 4) These values for concentration are annual means, when the effluent of the biological reactor is superior or

equal 12 °C


119

As can be seen in the table above the effluent requirements depend on the declaration of an area to be sensitive or non-sensitive. In accordance with Article 5 of the directive, the member states were required to identify sensitive areas. Identification criteria refer to three groups of sensitive areas: • Freshwater bodies, estuaries and coastal waters which are eutrophic or which may become

eutrophic if protective action is not taken; • Surface freshwaters intended for the abstraction of drinking water which contain or are likely

to contain more than 50 mg/l of nitrates; • Areas where further treatment is necessary to comply with other council directives, such as

the directives on fish waters, on bathing waters, on shellfish waters, on the conservation of wild birds and natural habitats, etc.

If a water body falls into one of these three groups, this is sufficient for it to be designated as sensitive. The identification of a water body as a sensitive area is an essential prerequisite for the practical application of the directive. According to the “European Common Position” on the conference on accession to the European Union, the Republic of Cyprus stated that it does not need to identify sensitive areas, i.e. that no discharges are allowed to coastal waters and that there are no perennial rivers running into the sea. The only surface waters that are declared as sensitive are the Polemidhia storage reservoir, and the coastal zone between Cape Pyla and Paralimni. Considering that the Mediterranean countries of the EU declared the bigger part of their area as non sensitive and the Republic of Cyprus did not declare sensitive zones, the northern part of Cyprus may also be declared as a non-sensitive area according to the directive. This means that the effluent requirements for normal areas could be applied. However, making allowances for the shallow non-confined local aquifer, also nitrogen and phos-phorus removal shall be considered. Requirements for Industrial Wastewater Discharge Besides the collection and treatment of domestic wastewater, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC includes a regulatory framework for the discharge of industrial wastewater. According to Article 11 of the directive, the discharge of industrial wastewater into collecting sys-tems and urban wastewater treatment plants is subject to prior regulations and/or specific au-thorisations by the competent authority or appropriate body. These regulations and specific authorisation shall be reviewed and if necessary adapted at regular intervals. The industrial wastewater shall be subject to such pre-treatment as is required in order to:

• Protect the health of staff working in collecting systems and treatment plants; • Ensure that collecting systems, wastewater treatment plants and associated equipment

are not damaged; • Ensure that the operation of wastewater treatment plants and the treatment of sludge are

not impeded; • Ensure that discharges from the treatment plants do not adversely affect the environ-

ment, or prevent receiving water from complying with other community directives; • Ensure that sludge can be disposed of safely in an environmentally acceptable manner.


120

6.2 SEWAGE SLUDGE DISPOSAL – DIRECTIVE 86/278/EEC The progressive implementation of the urban wastewater treatment in member states is increas-ing the quantities of sewage sludge requiring disposal. The Directive 86/278/EEC is regulating the use of sewage sludge in agriculture in order to prevent harmful effects on soil, vegetation, animals and man, thereby encouraging the correct use of such sewage sludge. It prohibits the use of untreated sludge on agricultural land unless it is injected or incorporated into the soil. This Directive sets minimum quality standards for the soil and sludge used in agriculture, and defines monitoring requirements when sludge is spread on agricultural land. The limit values de-fined in this Directive concern heavy metals concentration for sewage sludge as well as for soil when sewage sludge is used on land and maximum annual heavy metals loads through the ap-plication of sewage sludge. Treated sludge is defined as having undergone "biological, chemical or heat treatment, long-term storage or any other appropriate process so as significantly to reduce its ferment ability and the health hazards resulting from its use". The use of sewage sludge is prohibited if the concentration of one or more heavy metals in the soil exceeds the limit values laid down in accordance with Annex IA of the directive. Sludge must be treated before being used in agriculture but the member states may authorise the use of untreated sludge if it is injected or worked into the soil. The use of sludge is prohibited on:

• Grassland or forage crops if the grassland is to be grazed or the forage crops to be har-vested before a certain period has elapsed (this period, fixed by the Member States, may not be less than three weeks);

• Soil in which fruit and vegetable crops are growing, with the exception of fruit trees; • Ground intended for the cultivation of fruit and vegetable crops which are normally in di-

rect contact with the soil and normally eaten raw, for a period of ten months preceding the harvest of the crops and during the harvest itself. Sludge and soil on which it is used must be sampled and analysed.

The member states must keep records registering the following:

• The quantities of sludge produced and the quantities supplied for use in agriculture; • The composition and properties of the sludge; • The type of treatment carried out; • The names and addresses of the recipients of the sludge and the places where the

sludge is to be used.


121

6.3 EUROPEAN COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT ON SLUDGE, 3RD DRAFT, BRUSSELS, 27 APRIL

2000 Subsequent to the issue of the directive 86/278/EEC, there have been lengthy discussions on means to improve the earlier directive. The working document on sludge (3rd draft) was pre-pared by officials of the EC Environment Directorate-General (Environment DG) and issued in Brussels on 27 April 2000. Although this document has not yet resulted in formalized legislation, it nevertheless represents the current thinking on the subject and should be utilized within that context. The EU Council Directive 86/278/EEC of 12 June 1986 provides legal guidance with regards to protection of the environment, and in particular the soil, when sewage sludge is to be used in ag-riculture. Compliance with this directive and any future amendment herewith, will be paramount for land application of sludge. However, as it has been over twenty years since the issuance of the initial (and only) EU directive on use of sewage sludge in agriculture, such current EU dis-cussion on the topic is useful in determining the future path of new EU directives.

It must be stressed that this EC Working Document contains proposals for a revised EC directive on the use of sewage sludge on land. The main objective of the proposed regulations is that sludge to be applied on agricultural land and for other purposes, shall be treated in order to sig-nificantly reduce its biodegradability and the potential of causing nuisance as well as the health and environmental hazards when it is used on land. This requirement applies to sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants as well as sludge from septic tanks, cesspools and simi-lar installations.

The EC working document proposes eight annexes, apparently intended to provide specific in-formation for monitoring and evaluation of the land application of sewage sludge. These an-nexes contain the following information:

Annex I: Definition of advanced and conventional sludge treatment processes. Annex II: Limit values for concentrations of heavy metals in soil. This annex compares the proposed limits to those originally adopted in the 1986 EU directive, with the proposed limits generally stated more conservatively. Annex III: Limit values for concentrations of heavy metals in sludge for use on land. Again, the original 1986 EU directive limits are compared to the proposed limits, with the proposed limits stated more conservatively. Annex IV: Limit values for concentration of organic compounds and dioxins in sludge for use on land. Annex V: Limit values for amounts of heavy metals which may be added annually to soil, based on a ten year average. The limits proposed are substantially less than those found in the 1986 EU directive. Annex VI: Sampling frequency. Based on the estimated quantity of approximately 1,500 ton-nes dm per year, a minimum of four analyses per year (quarterly) for heavy metals would be re-quired.


122

Annex VII: Analysis and sampling. Provides methodology for sampling and analysis. The soil shall be analysed before the first use of sludge on land and every ten years thereafter for pa-rameters of pH, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn. Annex VIII: Industrial sectors.

6.4 THE WASTE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (91/156/EEC AMENDING 75/442/EEC ON WASTE) This Directive confirms the waste management hierarchy already outlined in the Communication on Community strategy for waste management. According to this hierarchy preference has to be given to waste prevention followed by waste reduction, re-use, recycling, and energy recovery. This Directive establishes principles for the use and disposal of waste, waste management plans, approval procedures and monitoring. In addition, this Directive provides the definition for the term "waste". A list of the different type of waste is provided by the recent Commission Deci-sion 2001/118/EC which amends Decision 2000/532/EC. Directives specific to certain wastes (e.g. sludge) are applied additionally to the Waste Framework Directive. 6.5 THE COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 91/676/EEC OF 12 DECEMBER 1991 This Directive concerns the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agri-cultural sources, known as the nitrates Directive, requires identification by Member States of Ni-trates Vulnerable Zones (NVZ). These zones are defined as areas where water quality has or will exceed EC drinking water standard in terms of nitrates concentration (defined in Directive 75/440/EEC concerning the quality required of surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water in Member States). 6.6 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

• The Statutory Order 517/2002 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing the European Council Directive 86/278/EEC.

• The Statutory Order 157/2003 under Law 215 of 2002 regarding Solid and Hazardous

Waste. The Annexed list of waste types, includes sludge from the treatment of domestic wastewaters as non-hazardous waste (Code Nr.: 19 08 05)

• The Statutory Order 772/2003 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing

the European Council Directive of 21 May 1991 concerning urban wastewater treatment (91/271/EEC). Article 16 refers to the disposal of sludge deriving from domestic waste-water treatment plants.

• The Statutory Order 263/2007 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing

the Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of wa-ters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, known as the nitrates Directive. Part 5 of the Annexed Code of Practice for agricultural activities to reduce Ni-trate pollution, refers to the use of sludge from domestic wastewaters in agriculture.


123

• The Statutory Order 407/2002, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environ-ment, Code of Good Agricultural Practice, Part 5: Code of practice for agricultural utilisa-tion of sludge from domestic wastewaters, describing the general conditions for land application of sludge, the restrictions and the controls that have to be exercised when applying sludge on agricultural land.

• The law on Disposal of Effluent 106(I)/2002 broadly enacts the urban wastewater Treat-

ment Directive; depending of the reuse of the water, various limits are accordingly ap-plied with more stringent levels of treatment for the most sensitive reuses and for industrial effluent management.

• Water Pollution Control Law 69/91 sets out measures to control water pollution, in order

to protect the aquatic environment and public health. • Water Policy Action Plan Law 13(I)/2004 has only recently been published (in Greek),

and adopts the requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive. For administrative convenience, Cyprus has been nominated as a single water basin and, in accordance with the Directive’s requirements, river sub-basins are currently being established for the management of the water environment. This includes the monitoring and control of land-based pollution sources.


124

7. PUBLIC CONSULTATION Direct public hearing will be conducted in January 2009 as an on-going element in the develop-ment of the project. The Consultant will support in carrying out this process, assisting in prepar-ing the minutes and incorporating the received comments into the final version of this EIA Report. Plans for public involvement during the design, construction and operation phases will have to be developed. This procedure will include public participation in monitoring impacts and mitiga-tion measures during the construction and operation phases.

8. INDICATION OF DIFFICULTIES IN COMPILING THE REQUIRED INFORMATION The main difficulty faced during the preparation of this report was mainly due to the everyday working culture and work ethics. Access to any kind of information was difficult and incurred bur-densome processes which are time consuming at the same time. Data and statistics used during the preparation of this report was not readily available and required long preparation period be-cause of inexistence of reporting requirements during operations of each department.


125

9. STUDY GROUP

This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP was prepared by FICHTNER GmbH & Co and HEINRICH Consultants. Ms Rena Xanthou-Mouskalli was the EIA Key Expert on behalf of the Consultants and the Coordinator of the group that prepared the EIA Study. Ms. Rena Xanthou-Mouskalli has the following academic qualifications: - Civil Engineer : B. Eng. (Civil Engineering) 1994,

City College of the City University of New York, New York, USA.

-Environmental Engineer : M. Eng. (Environmental Engineering) 1996, City College of the City University of New York, New

York, USA. The following persons contributed to the completion of the EIA:

• Panicos Nicolaides, Civil / Environmental Engineer • George Kirkos, Environmental Scientist • Paris Markou, Biologist • Sibel Paralyk, Environmental Engineer

This EIA was prepared for the Contracting Authority which is the European Commission (Direc-torate General – Enlargement - A.3 – Task Force Turkish Cypriot Community) during the period of April to October 2008. All Charts/Maps/Tables/Documents included in the Report are based on information and data gathered during the above-mentioned period.


126

10. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

The EU Project EuropeAid/125028/D/SER/CY concerns implementation of the Service Contract for the PREPARATION OF CONCEPTUAL AND DETAILED DESIGNS FOR PRIORITY PROJECTS ON WA-TER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN THE NORTHERN PART OF CYPRUS one of the specific measures undertaken by Cyprus to comply with the Acquis Communautaire.

Contracting Authority for the Project is the European Commission (Directorate General – Enlargement - A.3 – Task Force Turkish Cypriot Community).

Project commencement date was 19.03.2008. The project duration is 12 months until 19.03.2009. EU-contract number is 2008 / 149-039.

This project has high priority, considering its aim to improve the current situation, where deficient urban wastewater infrastructure causes major health and environmental risks. The need to con-struct a new waste water treatment plant (hereafter called as WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat has long been established due to the serious problems of the existing plant. It has the complexity of a bi-communal project which has to be financed and administered by both communities jointly as one project. The Direct Beneficiaries of the above mentioned infrastructure investment will be the inhabitants of the greater area of Nicosia.

According to the provisions stipulated in the ToR, the designers of the WWTP had originally to elaborate two investment projects which are specified in the following:

a) Retention of the existing plant at Mia Milia/Haspolat but with the addition of a reception fa-cility for tankered sewage delivered by road to the site

b) The development of a new WWTP (incorporating a tanker reception facility)

In consequence though, of the actual capacity overload of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the forecasted growth in the respective catchment area within the next 15 years, the construction and commissioning of a new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat is planned and given high priority. Furthermore, it will be required to construct a new trunk sewer from Alakoy/Gerolakkos (via Gonyeli) to Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site. These measures will re-lieve the existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the corresponding sewer network and thus, contribute to the improvement of the overall sanitary situation in Nicosia.

The present Planning Report No 11 – Project R1 covers and presents the findings of the Envi-ronmental Impact Assessment Study (hereafter called as EIA) only for the planned new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP as per ToR. The EIA has been undertaken in accordance with the EIA Di-rective 85/337/EEC which was adopted in 1985 and amended in 1997 by means of Directive 97/11/EC. The objectives of the comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Re-port, for the investment project of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat, is to ensure that all en-vironmental consequences due to developing and operating the investment project are evaluated, and measures that will mitigate possible environmental effects are proposed for in-clusion in the final designs. The target of this EIA is to ensure proper planning and implementa-


127

tion of the proposed investment project in a sustainable manner, thus minimizing the potential negative impact to the environment, arising from such activities. Additionally, the fundamental aim objective of this assessment is to provide a means whereby the overall environmental per-formance of the project can be enhanced through identification and evaluation of the potential impacts. It is attempted to identify and discuss key potentially beneficial as well as adverse im-pacts on physical, biological and socio-economic environment associated with the project, con-struction, commissioning and operation phases.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION SCOPE OF THE PROJECT The scope of the project includes the construction, commissioning and operation of a new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat, as MBR plant with advanced biological nutrient removal (ABNR) It will be designed to serve up to 269.114 inhabitants with the design horizon year, 2025. In or-der to avoid extensive capacity surcharge for the consumer for untreated capacity, staged im-plementation of the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is suggested. In Stage1 of the implementation, a capacity of 34,000 m3/day with all structures and buildings to be designed for the final required capacity, shall be established, which shall be increased to the final capacity in the second im-plementation stage, to reach the final capacity of 44,000 m3/day. At the second stage, supply and installation of additional required equipment to increase the capacity to the required extend will be applied. The timing for the second implementation stage shall be linked to the effective scheduled WW flow, supported by the respective investment schedules in the required network facilities. Septage from unsewered areas in Nicosia will be delivered to the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat for treatment together with the wastewater from the served areas. The aim is to connect all customers finally to the sewerage network.

STUDY AREA Mia Milia/Haspolat area is located north-east of Nicosia area. The existing WWTP is located at the proposed location of the new WWTP. The proposed WWTP is located approximately 1,5 Kilometers south-east of the centre of the village, approximately 1,2 Kilometers east from the in-dustrial area and about 2.5 Kilometres north-east from Nicosia (Kaimakli-Palouriotissa areas). The proposed location is on the land parcel that is currently used for the existing WWTP lagoon system and is almost adjacent to the south bank of Pedhieos River. The land available for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat has already been acquired5. The area of the whole land available is approximately of the order of 60,000 square meters. PROPOSED DESIGN SOLUTION The design solution for Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP shall consist of the following key components: 1. Interconnecting pipe work from the existing sewer termination point to the new Inlet fa-

cilities 2. Inlet facilities comprising screening & grit removal facilities; 3. Tanker discharge station; 4. Activated sludge treatment facilities designed for advanced BNR based on MBR 6. Digester for sludge stabilization incl. CHP unit 5 New Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP Complementary Analysis- Louis Berger Group / Michael Iordanou and Associates, January 2007


128

7. Sludge thickening and dewatering units; 8. Final Effluent disinfection facilities; 9. Auxiliary / miscellaneous facilities and structures; 10. TSE pumping station; and 11. TSE filling station for tankers. DESIGN CRITERIA The new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP will be designed to serve up to 269.114 inhabitants. In the following, the major design data is presented.

• population equivalent for design of treatment block 269,1146 • population equivalent for design of residual facilities: 269,114 • sludge stabilisation: anaerobe, Biogas utilization with CHP unit • type of de-nitrification: intermittent • type of phosphorus removal: biological / chemical precipitation with Fe III • type of aeration basin: rectangular basin • plant configuration: 3 independent treatment trains • sludge thickening: mechanical • sludge dewatering: mechanical

The Tables that follow describe the characteristics of the existing wastewater and the design values for the TSE effluent for Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP, respectively.

Mia Milia/Haspolat Waste Water Load – Influent Quality

WW Load


Concentration [mg/ l]


According per capita calcula-

tion] 3)

According pro-vided Analyses

1) Design values

[mg/l]2)3)

BOD5 60 538 490..675 538 COD 134 1.202 908..1275 1202 TSS 70 628 365..424 628 TKN 13,4 120 88..123,5 120 TP 2,8 25 16,6..18,7 25

1) Row Sewerage characteristics existing Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – 2007 2) mean values 3) based on a WW flow of 111 l/capita.day

6 Including 5% surcharge for industry


129

Design values for TSE TSE STANDARD FOR AGRICULTURAL

UNRESTRICTED USE DISCHARGE TO SENSI-TIVE AREA

Design Values for the TSE for the New MIA MILIA WWTP

Urban Waste Water

Treatment Directive

91/271/EEC

Item No.

Quality Para-meters Unit

GCC Standard for

unrestricted agricultural

use

Max

1 PH 7-9

2 Turbidity NTU <=3 3 TDS mg/l 4 TSS mg/l 10 <=5 35 5 BOD mg/l 10 <=5 25 6 COD mg/l 30 <=60 125

17 Total Nitrogen -N mg/l <=10 10

21 Chlorine resi-dual mg/l

23 Total phosphorus mg/l <=1 1

25 Aluminium mg/l 26 Copper mg/l 27 Iron mg/l 28 Nickel mg/l 29 Lead mg/l 30 Cadmium mg/l 31 Zinc mg/l 32 Chromium mg/l 46 Molybdenum mg/l 47 Boron mg/l 48 Arsenic mg/l

49 Fecal Coliform (E.COLI)

count/100 ml <=15

<=5 units/100ml in 80% sam-ples <=15 units/100 ml max

50 Helminth eggs egg/L

51 Parasitic Hel-minth worms

worm/L nil


130

WORK PROGRAM FOR CONSTRUCTION, COMMISSIONING AND OPERATION The work program for construction is not yet known at this stage, but it is estimated that the im-plementation phase will have a duration of two years, from 2009-2011 after the tendering proce-dure will be finalised. The planned commissioning date of the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat is anticipated to be latest 15.10.2012. The operation phase is estimated to start 4-6 months af-ter the commissioning phase. The design horizon for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat was set by the ToR with 2025. OTHER ACTIVITIES WHICH MAY BE REQUIRED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE PROJECT Further to the new WWTP, it will be required to construct a new trunk sewer from Gerolakkos/Alakoy (via Gonyeli) to Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site as well as a secondary sewer collection network, thus contributing to the improvement of the overall sanitary situation in Nicosia. Additionally, according with the conceptual design the following will be required during for implementation of the new WWTP: Waste Water / Effluent

• Inlet pipe: Connection to existing inlet gravity sewer pipe about 800 m, DN 1100 • Outlet pipe: Termination of discharge sewer into the discharge river. A new effluent pipe-

line will be constructed starting from the shaft at the TSE outlet, until the effluent dis-charge point with a distance of about 150 m.

Drinking Water

• Connection to existing drinking water supply network Sludge Handling/ Sludge storage basins

• Included will be Sludge pumping station, sludge thickening, sludge dewatering and tem-porary sludge storage. Sludge treatment with lime will be considered.

Existing idle/not further required structures

• To be demolished and area to be reinstated provided the structures are within the site boundaries. For connecting pipes site boundaries shall be defined with maximum site width of 15 m.

ANALYSES OF ALTERNATIVES

This section looks alternatives to the proposed development and its design, and analyses the potential environmental impacts on each option. The objective is to determine the most practi-cal, environmentally sound, economically and technically feasible option. The “No-Action” alternative is not a possibility in this situation, since the current operation of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP presents numerous functional problems, thus causing major environ-mental negative impacts, eliminating any possibility of providing ecological benefits to the receiv-ing environment.


131

The proposed alternative: In consequence of the actual capacity overload of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and the forecasted growth in the respective catchment area within the next 15 years, the construction and commissioning of a new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at Mia Milia/Haspolat is finally planned, and given high priority. Membrane technology has developed essentially within the last couple of years and represents state-of-art technology for wastewater treatment and a key process element for wastewater reuse. Taking into account the local cli-matic conditions, serviceability and operability of the plant and the benefits which are provided by an MBR based process, the designers of the WWTP recommends MBR process technology for the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. For more details please refer to the Final Planning Re-port N° 7- Part 1: Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP – October 2008 – FICHTNER-HEINRICH.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT CLIMATE Cyprus has a subtropical climate. Summers are long, dry and hot; winters are short, mild with limited rainfall without any spring and fall season. Starting from April to November warm and dry weather predominates and elevates the temperature up to 40 degrees Centigrade. On average the warmest month is July and coldest moths are January and February where the highest pre-cipitation occurs. TOPOGRAPHY The site for the WWTP site lies on a piece of flatland. The area is flat with an elevation of ap-proximately 100m above sea water level. The land slopes very gently towards the south east. The location of the WWTP is at the lowest point. It is not perceived that the present topography of the site requires any special considerations prior to the construction activities. GEOLOGY AND SOILS The geology of surrounding area consists of mainly pebble and gravel, sand and sandstone. Gravel, sand and sand stone areas are so called light soil which is mostly sandy with some clay and silt in it and has a coarse texture. Water drains trough hi type of soil very quickly. HYDROLOGY Pedhieos River is the only surface water source that is flowing nearby location of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. There are small streams which are connected to the river which are non-flowing most of the time of the year (perennial streams). The Pedhieos River belongs to the cen-tral mesaoria aquifer, which extends from the villages of Astromeritis to the city of Nicosia. The Pedhieos River aquifer provides water to a large part of the city of Nicosia for agricultural and domestic uses. There are no data available for the assessment of surface water quality for the Pedhieos River, as there is no surface water-monitoring network within the river basin. Addi-tionally, there is no aquifer nominated and managed nor monitored by stakeholders. There are no water resources detected in the area that can be used as drinking water source.


132

FLORA AND FAUNA In the proposed location of new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP and nearby surrounding area there are no endemic plants or animals detected. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS The de-facto population of Mia Milia/Haspolat village is 3,289 according to 2006 poll results, (2,104 male, 1,185 female). Most of the working population serves the production sector. There is an organized industrial area nearby Mia Milia/Haspolat village. In the Mia Milia/Haspolat indus-trial area, there are a variety of activities producing goods and providing to different sectors. LAND USE Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is located on the south of Mia Milia/Haspolat industrial area. In addi-tion to the organized industrial area, there are other industrial operations scattered in a greater area, i.e., north-east of Mia Milia/Haspolat village. The village is located in on the south of main Nicosia – Famagusta highway. The Cyprus International University is located on the north of the village, north bank of main Famagusta road. Other than the above agricultural activities are tak-ing place in the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP area. ZONING OR LAND-USE POLICIES The existing and proposed location of new WWTP falls in the borders of Nicosia Master Plan re-vision 2008. According to the Master Plan, the recommended / projected use of land at Mia Milia/Haspolat includes;

- Primary housing area - Future housing area - Commercial area - Industrial area - Recreation area - Forestry - Agricultural area

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE The public buildings include a primary and a secondary school, a university on the north of the village, parks on the south of the village centre. The main public utilities are available for the vil-lagers. Infrastructure services include electricity, drinking water distribution and telephone wiring. PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The Nicosia Master Plan revision 2008 is the only existing source that foresees certain types of development in each zoned area. The following five development activities are the main activi-ties which are expected to be seen in the area in the future. 1] Urban Development Areas 2] New Development Areas 3] Industrial Activities 4] Wastewater Treatment


133

5] Agricultural Activities ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL PROPERTIES There is no archeologically and/ or historically important site located nearby the village or the ex-isting and proposed location of WWTP. There are no prehistoric, historic or paleontological re-sources within 1km of construction site and there is no site/facility with unique cultural or ethnic values.

POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT The activities for the construction phase for the new WWTP at Mia Milia/Haspolat are expected to create some short-term negative impacts to the biological characteristics of the study area, since the study area is inhabited by various flora and fauna species due to the presence of the lagoons. HYDROLOGY The construction activities for the implementation of the Project parameters, if not properly man-aged, are anticipated to create environmental impacts to the hydrological characteristics of the Study area, since the south bank of Pedhieos River is very close to the proposed construction site. The operation of the whole sanitary system is anticipated to cause major positive impacts to the hydrological characteristics of the Study Area, by minimizing the contamination of the groundwa-ter, and at the same time, providing a new water source that can be used for irrigation activities (treated effluent). Additionally, the presence of “good” quality treated water could be used for ir-rigation purposes in the greater Nicosia area. However, an environmental consideration from water re-use, is the effect of the reclaimed water in the groundwater quality, in cases of malfunctioning of the plant. One of the potential sources of groundwater pollution is nitrate which may be found or result from the application of reclaimed water. Additional physical, chemical and biological constituents found in reclaimed water may pose an environmental risk. Therefore, a groundwater monitoring program is required to moni-tor any potential impacts of reclaimed water. Suggestions on this topic are analysed in the next chapter of this report. NUISANCE DUSTING The potential for dust emissions may occur during earth moving activities. These activities can generate particulates that when carried along by the prevailing wind may affect people within the surrounding areas, primarily workers.


134

NOISE Most of the noise generated during construction is that of the large earth-moving equipment in-cluding excavators, transportation vehicles and other heavy construction machineries. However, the noise levels that will be generated during the construction of the WWTP will not impact the acoustic environment of nearby communities. It should be noted however, that the impacts from the noise levels will be of short duration and the normal noise levels in the affected areas will be restored after the construction activities. During the operation phase, it is expected that without the implementation of certain mitigation measures, high noise levels will rise during the operation of the WWTP form the mechanical equipment such as screening, conveyor belts, inlet facilities of septic tanker trucks, aerators and the pumping stations. It is expected that noise levels will be in the range of 55 – 65 dB(A) near the WWTP, and 65 – 70 dB(A) near the aerators. LOSS OF LAND USE OPTIONS The existing location of Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP is partially classified as land for limited use in agriculture and partially superior quality agricultural land. The proposed expanded area for the new WWTP will cover land highly suitable for agriculture, classified as distinguished agricultural land. Therefore there will be a loss of high quality farmlands. The zoning and land use policies are introduced in the 2008 revised version of the Nicosia Master Plan. The area proposed for WWTP construction is also allocated for a treatment plant construction in the Master Plan. ODOUR Some of the treatment facilities are not envisaged to cause any odour pollution because odour prevention mechanisms are built into the design of the WWTP. All facilities of the pre-treatment units and the discharge station of the tanker waste are enclosed. Additional source of odour nuisance would be the sludge storage area, as well as the containers/trucks that will be trans-porting materials from the screening process to dump site. It should be noted however, that it is almost impossible to completely eliminate the presence of offensive smells, since during the sys-tem’ s maintenance works for the WWTP, the pumping stations and force main offensive smells will occasionally occur creating nuisance in the surrounding area. Based on the Conceptual De-sign the odour control system of the new preliminary treatment will be arranged as a biological adsorption of the pollution using biofilter. RE-USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT

Reuse for Agricultural Irrigation The re-use of wastewater in agriculture can be detrimental or beneficial for the environment. Lat-ter case needs careful planning and management of wastewater treatment and constant moni-toring of wastewater components. On the other hand, poorly treated wastewater may have negative effects on soil or water resources. The potential impacts of sewage water re-use on health and environment depend largely on its quality (the physical and chemical components).


135

Reuse for Municipal Purposes

Urban re-use of wastewater saves potable water supplies while providing reclaimed water for various purposes:

• Irrigation of public parks and gardens and school yards, playgrounds, picnic areas etc. • landscaped areas golf courses; • roadside properties e.g. highway medians and shoulders. • Fire protection; • Toilet flushing in commercial buildings; and • Laundry facilities, car washing facilities etc.

From an environmental perspective possible risks are estimated to be rather low. Studies have showed limited or no negative effects on irrigated landscape plants and soils. Some studies have in fact demonstrated that landscape plants grow faster with reclaimed water, which might be attributed to its higher content of nutrients and organic matter. The main concern is the pro-tection of public health as pathogens in the reclaimed water can be exposed to a large number of people.

Re-Use for Aquifer Recharge The re-use of reclaimed water to artificially recharge aquifers offers a great potential, however it remains a very sensitive topic due to the risks of contaminating groundwater. In order to consider artificial recharge of the local aquifer, in the case of the proposed investment project, the following parameters are at least needed:

• Physical and chemical composition of treated effluent including inorganic constituents • Available area for recharge • Water balance (volume of treated effluent, surface water flow, precipitation, evaporation,

evapotranspiration, boundary conditions of the local aquifer, etc) • Three dimensional hydrogeological data of the aquifer (geological structure, trasmisivity,

permeability, etc) • Location and number of extraction boreholes • Rate of extraction (seasonal variations) • Plants to be irrigated • Other factors

Based on the above, it is clear that several factors have to be detailed examined and analysed, prior to the implementation of any recharge of thelocal aquifer and to the establishment of the impacts to the water resources. Therefore, the environmental risk for implanting a recharge scheme is considered high until ex-tensive studies are established and verified.


136

RE-USE OF TREATED SLUDGE The use of processed sludge from the new WWTP for agricultural purposes is considered to be the most effective and environmentally friendly technique, as the excess quantities of untreated sludge can cause environmental damage if they are carelessly disposed of. Sewage sludge aimed for the re-use in agriculture must follow applicable EU and Cypriot Standards which define threshold concentrations of potentially toxic elements and pathogenic organisms. PUBLIC HEALTH Public health should be ensured by taking certain precautions on-site. Public access to the site during construction and operation phase of the project should be prevented to ensure that health hazard is kept at minimum.

MITIGATION MEASURES The suggestions presented in this Chapter aim at minimizing the anticipated environmental im-pacts that might be generated during the construction and operation of the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. It should be noted that the implementation of the proposed measures re-quires in certain cases the cooperation and coordination of the activities of various organiza-tions. Therefore, for the successful implementation of the suggestions and measures indicated in this study, involve the adoption of actions of various Public Administration Organisations in both the GCC and TCC. To maximise the effectiveness of any environ-mental measures and to simplify the monitoring of these measures it is recommended that the Tender Documents include provisions for the preparation of a detailed environmental manage-ment plan in order to minimize the extent of impacts to the environment aside from already specified mitigations. The Contractor should prepare the EMP that would have to be approved by the Engineer before commencing the construction activities. ACCELERATION OF WORKS Keeping the construction period as short as possible and using an effective methodology of ac-tivities, often results in the reduction of environmental impacts. Therefore, the Tender Docu-ments and the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Contractor must be explicit and specific regarding the construction schedule of the Project. The chronological sequence, construction pattern including some alternative solutions and the period that the earthworks and other impor-tant construction activities must all be included in the Tender Documents. PUBLIC CONSULTATION It is proposed that the Tender Documents include the necessary provisions and requirements for public consultation related with the new Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP. These provisions could re-quire the Contractor to keep active during his construction period a campaign that will inform the public about the work progress, having any complains and suggestions of the public to be re-corded and resolved accordingly.


137

NOISE CONTROL It is not possible to achieve substantial reduction of construction noise levels in a Project that in-volves excavations and major concrete works. One method to reduce the negative effects from construction works is by accelerating the construction activities. Other measures include the scheduling of construction work so that impacts on sensitive areas are avoided. In some cases additional measures can be implemented to reduce the noise pollution to acceptable levels. It is proposed that the Tender Documents include appropriate provisions for the use of attenuation techniques around these equipment for the reduction of noise levels. The Tender Documents could also include provisions that require the Contractor to use and maintain his equipment as per the manufacture’s instructions and that all necessary measures for the reduction of noise from his equipment are implemented through out the whole period of the project. During the op-eration phase of the project, excessive noise can be reduced by the careful detail design, selec-tion and installation of machinery. Noise levels within pumping and aeration facilities can be reduced by the use of sound absorbent lining. Transmission between compartments and from the building can be reduced by the use of heavy imperforate building materials or of discontinu-ous construction. The use of double-door vestibules and double glazing with a large air gap is also effective. ODOUR CONTROL The detailed design of the WWTP should into account the use of odour control systems in order to eliminate any possible odour nuisance from the presence of offensive smells from the opera-tion of the system, as odour is an important and sensitive issue that should be managed properly to minimize the public nuisance. Where an odour problem exists, a monitoring program should be developed to characterize the severity of the problems and to identify the sources of odour and corrosion. It is suggested that odour control systems are installed at the preliminary treat-ment facilities of the WWTP. The odour control systems must be easy to use, use sufficient en-ergy and be cost effective. Based on the conceptual design of the new WWTP in Mia Milia/Haspolat the odour control system of the preliminary treatment will be arranged as a bio-logical adsorption of the pollution using bio filter. DUST CONTROL For the reduction of dust production it is proposed to include in the Tender Documents the con-struction requirements, which will alleviate this problem. The following measures are proposed:

• Use, where possible, of water or chemicals for control of dust in the decommission-ing/removal of existing structures and construction operations

• Installation and use of hoods, fans and fabric filters to enclose and vent the handling of dusty materials

• Mandatory wetting of the excavated material • Minimization of soil piling in the construction site • Covering of earth roads with the appropriate material • Use of water, chemicals, venting or other precaution to prevent particulate matter from

becoming airborne in handling dusty materials to open stockpiles and mobile equipment • Maintenance of roadways in clean condition


138

• The perimeter of the construction site should be fenced to a sufficient height to prevent the spread of dust. Where this is not practicable, fencing should be provided close to the source of the dust. Lightweight small mesh nylon sheeting is recommended.

• Covering transportation vehicles, enforcing speed control and selecting transportation routes to minimize impact on sensitive receptors

• Covering or spaying exposed soil or storage areas • Minimizing on-site construction material storage time • All vehicles and construction machineries shall be operated in compliance with relevant

emission standards and with proper maintenance to minimize air pollution DAMAGES TO PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PROPERTIES Before starting the construction activities it is proposed to photograph the construction site and the neighbouring private properties in order to record the existing conditions. The photographs could be used to evaluate any damages to existing properties from the construction activities. With reference to underground utilities the Tender Documents must include specific procedures for their detection with the assistance of relevant authorities before the excavation activities are allowed by the Engineer. MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION The contractor and sub-contractors should be aware of general safety principles which can help reduce workplace accidents. These include work practices, ergonomic principles, and training and education of workers who will actively get involved in construction. MATERIALS STORAGE It may be necessary to allocate a temporary storage area during each phase of construction. Temporary storage area should be located away from vehicular traffic and of the site of riperian area. During rainy season, it may be necessary to store some of the materials in a covered area.


139

DEPOLLUTION OF THE SITE FROM THE EXISTING FACILITIES It is expected that the existing lagoons and other facilities would have to be cleaned up from de-posits of organic and non organic material that was concentrated at the bottom of the facilities over the last years of operation of the WWTP facilities. It is suggested that the Tender Docu-ments identify the need for cleaning these facilities and request from the contractors to submit with their proposal a detail action plan that will be implemented during the removal and disposal of the material. If the cleaning of the facilities can not be included in the WWTP Works Contract then it is suggested that the owners of the plant take the necessary actions to plan the cleaning of the existing facilities (if possible) immediately after the decommissioning of the existing facili-ties. The following items related with the cleaning of the facilities should be taken into account during the preparation of the Tender Documents:

• All the wastewater in the existing facilities and lagoons should be pumped to the new fa-cilities for treatment.

• All solid and sludge deposits within the existing facilities should be forwarded in a dump

site with the approval of the local authorities.

• The emptying and cleaning of the existing facilities should be carried out immediately af-ter the flow is forwarded to the new facilities to minimise the generation of odours.

• Construction debris from demolished structures should be reused in other construction

sites as backfill or transferred to an approved dump site.

• The lagoons should be modified and improved so as to use them as storage facilities for the treated wastewater.

• Measures should be implemented to avoid the production of algae in the treated waste-

water storage facilities including the use of chemicals, the reduction of phosphorus and/or nitrogen in the treated wastewater.

CONSTRUCTION WASTE DISPOSAL The locations for disposing the waste material are not known during the conceptual design phase of the WWTP. Therefore, the environmental impacts from this construction activity cannot be evaluated. However, the Tender Documents must request from the Contractors to specify the proposed disposal locations for evaluation and approval. The areas that are located near Pedhieos Riverbed are considered environmentally sensitive and should be avoided for the dis-posal of waste materials. This requirement should be reflected in the Tender Documents. SAFETY MEASURES In order to reduce the construction accidents it is proposed that the Tender Documents require from the Contractor to prepare a Health and Safety Plan. The Contractor should be also obliged through the Tender Documents to assign a Health and Safety specialist in his team to coordinate the implementation and the updating of the Health and Safety Plan as required.


140

LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY Due to the fact that the construction will occur next to a riparian area, a riparian buffer should be developed that cushions the negative impacts of the activity and negative impacts that land and water may have on each other. The Contractor should include in the EMP a methodology of construction activities and measures with regards to the protection of natural habitat of the within and close to the construction site. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE DETAILED DESIGN OF THE WWTP It is suggested that the following items are included in the design of the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP in order to achieve the best possible environmental performance and provide the condi-tions for the least impacts to the environment:

• The existing lagoons at the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP site could be retained and be used for the storage of the treated effluent by the owners of the plant. The final storage volume needed for the treated effluent could be determined at a later stage by the owners of the plant in consultation with the responsible reuse authorities. In any case the storage ca-pacity of the facilities that will receive the treated effluent should be enough to accept the treated effluent during the wet period and should have such a hydraulic volume, to en-sure that the quantity of the supply is adequate to meet the user’s demand. It is recom-mended that the treated effluent lagoons are lined with membranes. It is also recommended that the depth of these lagoons is increased and the surface area is kept to the minimum in order to minimise the evaporation of the treated effluent. It is stressed that this item is not included in the proposed project activities therefore the treated efflu-ent storage and reuse scheme should be resolved by the owners of the WWTP at a later stage and in accordance with the inflow conditions (quantity of wastewater received by the plant over its life time).

• Part of the area now covered by the existing ponds could be used as emergency storage

volume in cases of treatment plant failure or in cases of excessive maintenance activities at the new WWTP. Since there facilities are not part of the project it is suggested that a risk assessment is carried out by the owners of the plant to estimate the required emer-gency storage volume. It is recommended that the emergency storage lagoons have a concrete surface to prevent any seepage of wastewater in the underground.

• The existing administration and the other support buildings, are rather small, and should

be abandoned. It is suggested that the new facilities could be big enough to provide the space requirements for the larger staff that will be needed to operate the future plant. Also, it is suggested that the new laboratory are furbished with the necessary equipment for the everyday operation and monitoring of the WWTP. The equipment at the labora-tory could provide the capability for the following analyses (is noted that the list can be changed by removing or adding items by the designers – some or other analyses can be carried out by a private lab):

- BOD - COD - Total, Dissolve and Suspended Solids - Total Nitrogen, Nitrite and Nitratre


141

- Phosphorus - Bacteriological analysis - Dissolved oxygen - Turbidity - Conductivity - pH - Free chlorine

• The existing workshop and storage areas are small and should be abandoned. It is sug-gested that the new facilities are furnished with modern equipment and tools that provide the capability for maintenance and basic repair of all equipment of the plant.

• It is suggested that all construction materials and activities that will be utilized for the WWTP are in accordance with EU and Cyprus Standards. In any care the Tender Docu-ments should indicate the acceptable the standards that should be followed during the construction and operation of the WWTP.

• As indicated above adequate emergency short term retention capacity storage holding

ponds or tanks to divert and retain reclaimed water of unacceptable quality for retreat-ment or alternative disposal should be constructed at the treatment plant site. Appropri-ate pumping facilities could be provided at the emergency storage lagoons for the partly treated wastewater to return back to the process for full treatment.

• It is suggested that stand-by units are provided for the electromechanical equipment that

directly control treated effluent quality (aerators, pumps, screens, drives etc). These stand-by units could be installed in full function mode so that they can automatically op-erate in case of malfunction of the duty units.

• It is suggested that operation monitoring systems that electronically record the various

system parameters me installed. The most important parameters that could be recorded, include the following:

- Influent flowrate; - influent temperature; - dissolve oxygen concentration in the aeration tanks; - free chlorine concentration in the effluent; - returned sludge flowrate; - operation timers for pumps and blowers; - quantities of treated effluent and sludge.

• The following devices could be installed for the continuous monitoring of the WWTP op-

eration: - Influent pH measurement device for inflow; - Airflow meters for the aeration system; - air temperature and air pressure devices at the outlet of the blowers; - wastewater pressure gauges in all pumps; - flowmeters in all chemical dosage systems;

• Stand-by units for power supply could be installed, such as a generator and a separate

electricity line that will be used in case of power failure of the main electricity line. The spare system must be in full function and able to operate automatically when power fail-


142

ure incidents occur. • During the detailed design of the WWTP the need for maintenance activities for the vari-

ous system parameters could be considered (such as the cleaning of the system’s tanks). It is suggested that the Tender Documents include the necessary provisions so that the tanks are designed and constructed in isolated sections in order to allow mainte-nance activities without disrupting the treatment process.

• Protective gear for the personnel and fire extinguishers must be installed at appropriate

places.

• Sufficient lighting must be installed at all the parts of the WWTP.

• It is suggested that telephone lines are installed and connected with telemetry systems so that the personnel is paged in cases of malfunction.

• The WWTP site must be fenced. It is suggested that the main gate is guarded with a

close TV system.

• It is suggested that storage rooms for all chemical substances that are used at the WWTP are constructed. The storage room should be sufficiently aerated and health and fire protection gear should be installed, such as fire extinguishers, goggles, gloves, oxy-gen masks at appropriate places.

• It is suggested that room for maintenance activities is provided. • The spare pumps should be usually at regular intervals in order to remain in full function

and be used when needed. The Tender Documents should include provisions so that the necessary detailed Operation and Maintenance Manuals for all subsystems are pro-vided by the Contractor.

• Odour control systems must be used for minimizing offensive smells in the screening fa-

cilities and in the facilities that will receive septage.

• The selection of the type of the odour control system should consider the efficiency, the cost effectiveness and the easy of installation and maintenance.

• It is suggested that the sludge storage facilities are aerated to prevent the generation of

odours or connected to the odor control system of the plant.

• Aeration piping should be constructed by non-corrosive materials.

It is suggested that a SCADA system is installed for the continuous monitoring of the sys-tem parameters. Any malfunction incidents should be recorded, providing details of the problem that occurred. The SCADA system should be able to instantly inform the per-sonnel for the occurring problem.

It is also suggested that the following items are taken into consideration in order to minimize possible accidents or malfunction of the treatment system:


143

• Variable frequency pump drives could be installed on the larger systems in order to main-

tain continuous and stable inflow. • The use of high efficiency blowers and diffusers is considered as a very important issue.

During the detailed design of the system, emphasis should be given at the selection of the blowers and diffusers. Energy efficient systems could be utilized as the aeration sys-tem is considered to be the main source of energy consumption in a WWTP. The Ten-der Documents could include provisions that promote the use of energy efficient aeration systems.

• It is recommended that all motors and pumps are of high efficiency in order to minimize

the energy consumption. Tender Documents should include provisions that promote the use of energy efficient motors and pumps.

• It is recommended that chemicals are added by electronic devices in order to decrease

leakages and accidental overdosing. The Tender Documents could include provisions for the use of electronic dosing equipment

• The blowers should be installed in noise-insulated areas.

• Dissolved oxygen in the aeration tanks must be constantly monitored.

• If a gas chloride disinfection system is used, then all necessary safety precautions should

be included in the detail design since gas chlorine is extremely toxic and can cause fatal accidents.

• The sampling system during the operation of the plant could include the means for auto-

matic preparation of composite samples from various points of the plant, such as the in-flow and the outflow points.

• It is good environmental engineering practice to use different colours for piping and

equipment for every system component.

• All necessary provisions should be included in the design and Tender Documents for protection against hazardous areas (if any) and the use of explosion proof equipment.

• A comprehensive quality assurance program could be implemented during the operation

of the plant to ensure accurate sampling and laboratory analysis protocol. A quality as-surance program could include: (1) selecting the appropriate parameters to monitor and, (2) handling the necessary sampling and analysis in an acceptable manner. Sampling techniques, frequency, and location are critical elements of monitoring and quality assur-ance.


144

PROPOSED MEASURES FOR THE MONITORING OF TREATMENT AND RE-USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT In order to maintain good quality for the treated effluent and to eliminate any possible negative impacts from the use of low quality treated effluent, the following measures should be taken in account (the Tender Documents could include provisions for the implementation of these meas-ures):

• The concentration of various parameters of the effluent such as BOD, COD, pH and SS should be checked two or three times a week during the first six months of the WWTP operation. If the results are proved to be consistent and within the legitimate levels, then the parameters can be checked one or two times a week based on the outcome of the results.

• The concentration of free chlorine must be recorder continuously. • Sampling and chemical analysis of untreated wastewater during the first six months of

operation could be conducted at least once a week. • The Stakeholders and/or the operating personnel of the WWTP should keep records of

all the activities and chemical analysis results for the operation of the WWTP. This record must be submitted to the competent authorities once every three months for further as-sessment.

• It is suggested that once every year an assessment of the treatment results should be carried out by an independent organization or consultant. The results should be for-warded to the competent authorities for approval and information. It is also recom-mended that the results of the yearly evaluation are made available to the public through the internet.

The following options for the use of treated wastewater were considered during the preparation of this EIA:

Use of the treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation in the Nicosia Area. Transfer of the treated effluent in areas other than Nicosia District. Recharge of the local Pedhieos aquifer.

Out of the three options indicated above the most promising and environmentally viable is the option that defines the use of the treated wastewater for the irrigation of agricultural land in the vicinity of Nicosia District. The use of treated wastewater from Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP in the Nicosia District for irriga-tion purposes will greatly improve the existing practice which is the disposal of low quality treated wastewater in the Pedhieos riverbed. This technique has been practiced the last few decades and because of the low quality of the treated effluent it can be safely assumed that the quality of the local groundwater has been negatively affected. The transfer of treated wastewater from Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP in areas other than the Nico-sia District for irrigation purposes is another option for consideration but since this is such a large and complex matter, an independent study is warranted. The final selection of the crops and cultivated lands that will use the treated effluent for irrigation


145

should be carried out according to the local standards and practices. The approval of the areas and cultivations that will be irrigated should be set with a Disposal Permit that will be issued by the competent Authorities. The selection of type of crops to be irrigated should take into account the need for keeping a balance between the effluent production, and the irrigation needs taking into account evaporation loss. The last option for the disposal of the treated wastewater is the use of Pedhieos riverbed. This technique offers a great potential, however it remains a very sensitive topic due to the risks of contaminating groundwater in case of plant malfunction, which will require very close monitoring of Pedhieos river and of the local aquifer. It is highly recommended that this option is avoided at least during the first five years of operation of the plant and until all the necessary studies are carried out. The Table below presents the treated wastewater quality standards that should be met before it’s used for irrigation purposes (identical standards are used for other wastewater treatment fa-cilities in the south part of Cyprus as per the Republic of Cyprus Bylaw 269/2005). Quality Standards for Irrigation of Treated Wastewater

Types of Cultiva-tion

ΒΟD5 mg/L

Suspended

Solids mg/L

Feacal Coliforms/ 100 ml

L Eggs of intestinal worms/l

1 All cultivation types(a)

10*

10*

5* 15*

0

2 Fields with unlimited public access Food crops not commercially processed (b)

10* 15**

10*

15**

50*

100**

0

3 Food crops commercially processed and grass areas with limited public ac-cess

20* 30**

30* 45**

200*

1000**

0

4 Agricultural crops

20* 30**

30* 45**

1000* 5000**

0

5 Industrial crops 50* 70**

-

3000* 10000**

-

a = treatment should use industrial processes b = treatment should use stabilization tanks with a long period storage


146

* = values for less than 80% samples ** = maximum acceptable value PROPOSED MEASURES FOR THE TRANSFER AND USE OF TREATED EFFLUENT The following measures could be adopted during the design and implementation of the transfer and reuse system of the treated wastewater:

• The sewage treatment and disinfection systems must be kept and maintained continu-ously in satisfactory and effective operation so long as treated sewage effluents are in-tended for irrigation and according to the license issued under the existing legislation.

• The treatment and disinfection plant must be checked every day and records to be kept

of all operations performed according to the licensing instructions. A copy of the licence should be kept for easy access within the treatment facilities.

• All outlets, taps and valves in the irrigation system must be secured to prevent their use

by unauthorized persons. All such outlets must be colored red or purple and clearly la-beled so as to warn the public that the water is unsafe for drinking.

• No cross connections with any pipeline or works conveying potable water, should be ex-

ercised. All pipelines conveying treated effluent must be satisfactorily marked and col-oured as to distinguish them from domestic water supply. In unavoidable cases where sewage/effluent and domestic water supply pipelines must be laid close to each other the sewage or effluent pipes should be buried at least 0.5 m below the domestic water pipes.

• It is suggested that the treated wastewater is metered at the source ie at the WWTP fa-

cilities. • All exposed piping and points of delivery could be tagged and labelled with proper word-

ing in order to avoid accidental misuse.

• All delivery points could be provided with a water meter for recording and billing pur-poses.

• Close monitoring of the use of the treated wastewater by the authorities should be exer-

cised at the farmer’s level to avoid misuse of the treated wastewater.

• The use of high angle sprinklers during irrigation should be prohibited.

• Storage of treated wastewater at the farmer’s facilities should be avoided. If storage is permitted then the storage facilities should be fenced and proper signs should be used to notify people about the source of the stored water.


147

PROPOSED PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SLUDGE A major environmental concern associated with land application of sludge is the effect of patho-gens on public health and the environment. Therefore, the final decision on the techniques that will be adopted for sludge application should include details on the requirements for control and reduction of pathogens according to the final use of sludge.

The conceptual design for the Mia Milia/Haspolat WWTP calls for the storage of dewatered sludge on open spaces. Under certain conditions the storage of dewatered sludge can generate odours and can attract flies and mosquitoes, with adverse consequences to the local environ-ment. Therefore, even though this technique can be acceptable from the technical and financial point of view for the Mia Milia/Haspolat/ Haspolat WWTP site (which is located at a safe distance from any housing areas), it is recommended for environmental reasons to consider the use of more advance techniques for the final management of the dewatered sludge. These techniques should be implemented by the owners of the WWTP since they will have to arrange for the final disposal or land application of the treated sludge.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK URBAN WASTEWATER TREATMENT DIRECTIVE 91/271/EEC The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC (21 May 1991) concerns the collection, treatment and discharge of urban wastewater and the treatment and discharge of wastewater from certain industrial sectors in the member states of the European Union. It is the overall ob-jective of the directive to protect the environment from the adverse effects of the above stated wastewater discharges. According to Article 4 of the Directive 91/271/EEC, urban wastewater entering collecting systems in the member states of 1991 had to be treated by means of secon-dary (biological) treatment or an equivalent treatment before discharge. SEWAGE SLUDGE DISPOSAL – DIRECTIVE 86/278/EEC The progressive implementation of the urban wastewater treatment in member states is increas-ing the quantities of sewage sludge requiring disposal. The Directive 86/278/EEC is regulating the use of sewage sludge in agriculture in order to prevent harmful effects on soil, vegetation, animals and man, thereby encouraging the correct use of such sewage sludge. It prohibits the use of untreated sludge on agricultural land unless it is injected or incorporated into the soil. This Directive sets minimum quality standards for the soil and sludge used in agriculture, and defines monitoring requirements when sludge is spread on agricultural land. The limit values de-fined in this Directive concern heavy metals concentration for sewage sludge as well as for soil when sewage sludge is used on land and maximum annual heavy metals loads through the ap-plication of sewage sludge.


148

EUROPEAN COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT ON SLUDGE, 3RD DRAFT, BRUSSELS, 27 APRIL 2000 This EC Working Document contains proposals for a revised EC directive on the use of sewage sludge on land. The main objective of the proposed regulations is that sludge to be applied on agricultural land and for other purposes, shall be treated in order to significantly reduce its bio-degradability and the potential of causing nuisance as well as the health and environmental haz-ards when it is used on land. This requirement applies to sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants as well as sludge from septic tanks, cesspools and similar installations.

THE WASTE FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (91/156/EEC AMENDING 75/442/EEC ON WASTE) This Directive confirms the waste management hierarchy already outlined in the Communication on Community strategy for waste management. According to this hierarchy preference has to be given to waste prevention followed by waste reduction, re-use, recycling, and energy recovery. This Directive establishes principles for the use and disposal of waste, waste management plans, approval procedures and monitoring. In addition, this Directive provides the definition for the term "waste". A list of the different type of waste is provided by the recent Commission Deci-sion 2001/118/EC which amends Decision 2000/532/EC. Directives specific to certain wastes (e.g. sludge) are applied additionally to the Waste Framework Directive. THE COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 91/676/EEC OF 12 DECEMBER 1991 This Directive concerns the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agri-cultural sources, known as the nitrates Directive, requires identification by Member States of Ni-trates Vulnerable Zones (NVZ). These zones are defined as areas where water quality has or will exceed EC drinking water standard in terms of nitrates concentration (defined in Directive 75/440/EEC concerning the quality required of surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water in Member States). REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

• The Statutory Order 517/2002 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing the European Council Directive 86/278/EEC.

• The Statutory Order 157/2003 under Law 215 of 2002 regarding Solid and Hazardous

Waste. • The Statutory Order 772/2003 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing

the European Council Directive of 21 May 1991 concerning urban wastewater treatment (91/271/EEC).

• The Statutory Order 263/2007 under the Law for Controlling Water Pollution, transposing the Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of wa-ters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, known as the nitrates Directive.

• The Statutory Order 407/2002, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environ-ment, Code of Good Agricultural Practice

• The law on Disposal of Effluent 106(I)/2002 broadly enacts the urban wastewater Treat-ment Directive;

• Water Pollution Control Law 69/91 sets out measures to control water pollution, in order to protect the aquatic environment and public health. Water Policy Action Plan Law


149

13(I)/2004 has only recently been published (in Greek), and adopts the requirements of the EC Water Framework Directive.


150

Bibliography Final Planning Report No 7: Mia Milia WWTP July 2008, Fichtner-HEINRICH EPA Manual –Guidelines for Water Reuse, EPA/625/R-92/004, September 1992 EPA Design Manual – Dewatering Municipal Wastewater Sludges. EPA/625/1-87/014, Septem-ber 1987 EPA. Process Design Manual – Surface Disposal of Sewage Sludge and Domestic Septage. EPA/625/R-95/002, September 1995 EPA. Environmental Regulations and Technology – Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewage Sludge. EPA/625/R-92/013, December 1992 EPA. Process Design Manual – Land Application of Municipal Sludge. EPA-625/1-83-016. Octo-ber 1983 A. Gunnerson & D. Stuckey. Integrated Resource Recovery, Anaerobic Digestion. World Bank Technical Paper Number 49, GLO/80/004, 1986 EPA. National Conference on Urban Runoff Management: Enhancing Urban Watershed Man-agement at the Local, County, and State Levels. EPA/625/R-95/003. April 1995 EPA. Manual on Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters. EPA/625/R-99/010. September 2000. European Commission. Guidance Document for EPER Implementation. November 2000. Update of Nicosia Master Plan – The louis Burger Group/M. Iordanou and Associates, 2005

Date post:	11-Feb-2017
Category:	Documents
Upload:	tranminh
View:	254 times
Download:	12 times