Water Resources Sustainability (WRS) activity in Morocco

ECODIT was the Technical Leader in a joint venture with Chemonics that just finished implementing the six-year $10 million WRS activity. The WRS activity aimed at improving water resources management and policies and addressing pollution problems by implementing three demonstration projects: wastewater treatment and reuse in Drarga near Agadir, prevention of pollution from tanneries in Fez, and soil and water conservation in the Rif region. The WRS activity also assisted the Department of Environment and its partners by providing training and technical assistance in the areas of water policies and technologies and community participation. ECODIT organized two workshops on cost-benefit analysis and a study tour in the United States to meet key U.S. stakeholders (government agencies, plant operators, farmers, tanners) in charge of developing and implementing water technologies and policies.

Wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigation in Drarga, Morocco

As part of the Water Resources Sustainability activity in Morocco, ECODIT has designed and built a wastewater treatment and reuse plant in Drarga (6,000 people) near Agadir. With technical and financial support from WRS, the Municipality of Drarga operates the plant and sells treated wastewater to farmers for irrigation. The plant relies on a combination of anaerobic lagoons and sand filters. The Municipality collects sewage fees to recover all of the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and some of the plant's capital costs. ECODIT has helped the Municipality negotiate a cost-sharing agreement with ERAC/Sud, a housing development public agency, whereby ERAC/Sud assumed total responsibility for building the main sewer line in Drarga. ERAC/Sud's contribution represented about 30 percent of the total cost of improving sanitation in Drarga. Top Prevention and control of water pollution from tanneries in Fez, Morocco For the Water Resources Sustainability activity, ECODIT has designed and built Morocco's first chromium recovery facility in Fez. This facility receives the tanning baths from 16 tanneries in the Dokkarat industrial zone, recovers the chromium from the baths through precipitation and acidification, and sells it back to the tanneries for reuse. The sale of chromium covers the facility's operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. ECODIT has established a partnership among local and central stakeholders, including the local sanitation company, and has helped the partnership negotiate a cost-sharing agreement. The facility has reduced by 90 percent the quantity of chromium discharged by the tanneries into the sewer and the river. Top Soil and water resource conservation in Oued Nakhla, Morocco Under the Water Resources Sustainability activity, ECODIT has implemented a soil and water resources conservation pilot project in the Oued Nakhla watershed between Tétouan and Chefchaouen. The five-year project included direct interventions to reduce soil erosion originating from croplands, existing gullies, ravines, and degraded matorral. Activities included planting olive and almond trees, repairing irrigation channels, controlling gullies, planting trees for firewood production and perennial grasses for livestock forage and encouraging the use of fuel alternatives to wood in households. The pilot project reduced (1) soil losses in the watershed by over 12,000 tons per year and (2) the annual rate of loss in dam reservoir storage capacity by about 2.5%. ECODIT has also fostered active participation from the farmers to improve long-term management of the watershed's resources. Working with local farmers, ECODIT has completed the following direct interventions: planted about 114,000 olive trees over 762 hectares; planted 13,000 fruit trees over 46 hectares; stabilized 3.5 km of ravines by installing gabions and planting soil-retaining trees; rehabilitated five water sources and built seven storage reservoirs; enhanced 6.6 hectares of rangelands; installed 15.8 hectares of grass strips; and created six village committees in the project area. ECODIT has conducted numerous workshops covering all topics relating to project implementation activities. These topics included construction of "cuvettes," beekeeping, goat production, grass strips, agricultural implements, improved crop production techniques for wheat and forages, disease and pest control in olives, cooking stoves, and replication of project activities. Top Preparation of a feasibility study for industrial waste/sludge waste projects in Brazil ECODIT assessed whether the US TDA should provide funding for the Rio de Janeiro Sludge Treatment Feasibility Study and the Suape Industrial Port Complex in Brazil. The Rio de Janeiro Water and Sewage Company (CEDAE) is a state-run company in charge of water supply and wastewater treatment within the State of Rio de Janeiro. CEDAE must find a way to handle the sludge resulting from wastewater treatment. As a result, CEDAE is interested in concessioning sludge treatment to a private firm. ECODIT recommended that TDA fund $300,000 for a Rio Sludge Management Feasibility Study, subject to CEDAE's agreement that any sludge management projects will be developed and operated as concessions. The Suape Industrial Port Complex is a large port facility and industrial zone situated south of Recife in the State of Pernambuco. Based on a pre-feasibility study conducted by the Pernambuco Federal University, at least two dozen of industrial facilities in the industrial zone generate 23 tons of hazardous waste per day, about 7,000 tons per year. Suape's plan is to out-source the management of industrial waste, just as it currently does for electricity, water, and other utilities. The company selected for industrial waste management may also be contracted by the City of Recife to handle commercial solid waste management for the southern metropolitan area. ECODIT recommended that TDA fund a $25,000 pre-feasibility study to establish written commitments from a manageable number of multinational generators who would be the core customers for the project. ECODIT also recommended funding of $40,000 for an Orientation Visit in the United States to bring potential key Brazilian sector players together with their U.S. counterparts to introduce Brazilian officials to the latest U.S. goods and services relating to industrial waste disposal and treatment. Top Socio-economic rehabilitation programme for South-Lebanon With the French Institut d'Aménagement Urbain de la Région d'Ile de France (IAURIF) and Lebanon's TEAM International, ECODIT participated in the preparation of a post-conflict socio-economic rehabilitation program for South Lebanon, financed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the High Relief Committee (HRC). ECODIT conducted an environmental assessment of the proposed program: we evaluated the potential environmental impacts and formulated environmental mitigation, monitoring and management measures to control, reduce or eliminate those impacts. ECODIT also worked on the water resource quantity and quality protection aspects of the programme. We identified several assets/opportunities and concerns/challenges for water resource management in South Lebanon. ECODIT proposed a 10-year vision and recommended a three-year plan for water resource management in South Lebanon. Top