Q: Please let me know whether the sewerage in the area of Gornje Mekušje will also be constructed within the ISPA project (sewerage for the village Gornje Mekušje itself). If it will not be constructed within the ISPA project, please let me know when it is planned to construct sewerage for the area of Gornje Mekušje, since it is situated next to the Korana river, and there is also a water well in that area.

A: Sewerage for Gornje Mekušje will not be constructed within the ISPA project, as only the main collectors will be constructed. The aim of the works performed under the ISPA project is to build a waste water treatment plant and the main collectors enabling to bring the waste water from the areas with existing sewerage network (centre of Karlovac, Duga Resa…) to this new WWTP. However, a tender for preliminary design for that sewerage is under preparation by the ViK, which will soon be contracted. This is the first step in the series of steps that need to be undertaken (preliminary design, main design, preparation of the tender dossier for works) so we can expect sewerage network in Gornje Mekušje in the near future.

Q:  How come that the design of the WWTP reached the capacity of 100.000 PE (maybe the situation was such before the war, while the brewery was also supposed to be connected to the WWTP and when more people lived in Karlovac), presently with the industry in Karlovac there is 50.000 PE - LESS FOR A HALF

A: The design anticipated that the WWTP will be flexible in the capacity and that it will function in the range from 60.000- 100.000 PE. Taking into account the contracts that Vodovod i kanalizacija has with companies KIM , PPK and Karlovac Brewery about taking over their waste waters after the mechanical pre-treatment, the WWTP will at every moment work with the capacity higher than 60.000 PE.

Q: Who is the designer in charge of designing of the WWTP in case it will not work, there must be a guarantee of responsible persons?

A: This WWTP was contracted on the principle of the Yellow FIDIC Book, which means that the Contractor is responsible for the design and the construction as well as the results of treatment, and the quantity of consumed energy and materials in the process of WW treatment.

Contractor provided a bank guarantee for the aforementioned items, the authenticity of which was also accepted by the EU Delegation.

Q: Who will pay the energy consumed, devaluation, employees and everything else for those 100.000 PE? Probably naive citizens.

A: Every WWTP, as well as every utility facility, needs to have a developmental component, thus the Karlovac WWTP was designed as a flexible plant, and in this moment, in the summer period, it will work with the capacity of over 90.000 PE.

The engineering practice knows that the construction of the WWTP is cheaper for up to 30% if a plant with all three degrees of treatment is built immediately, and not separately mechanical, after that biological degree and as the third degree - removal of the phosphorus and nitrogen. Also, subsequent increase of capacity is much more expensive than when all is done as one unit.

Concerning the number of employees, there are no significant deviations in the number of employees between 60.000 and 100.000 PE , and the energy and consumed materials will be used depending on the present capacity of the WWTP.

Q: Did any Croatian company participated in the construction? Yes, Osijek Koteks owned by the Austrians, where also the equipment comes from

A: As per EU rules, 30% of the total works can be subcontracted and all Croatian companies were official subcontractors, and no foreign company participated as a subcontractor. Also, except electrical and mechanical equipment, all construction material was purchased in Croatia and the construction works make almost 50% of the total value of the WWTP.

Q: Do you think you overpaid this plant?

A: No.

Q: Who will be responsible if there will be unpleasant odours and in which deadline will they be removed?

A: Unpleasant odours are not anticipated because there is a facility for their removal. Were you at the location of the WWTP at the time of agricultural works when the local population fertilises the land with the liquid manure?