Plava Voda spring is located in Travnik Municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton and was used, to a limited extent, for local water supply. The “Plava Voda Regional Water Supply System” project aimed to increase the abstracted quantities of water and to divert it for the water supply of the Zenica municipality as well as for the supply of the three other municipalities (Novi Travnik, Vitez and Busovaca) which also need to improve their existing water supply system by introducing additional quantities of quality drinking water. The project was of inter-cantonal, regional character and served as a connection between the municipalities of the Central Bosnia and Zenica-Doboj Cantons.
The project was funded by parallel loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“EBRD”) and Council of Europe Development Bank (“CEB”). The subject of financing was the construction of water intake at the source, construction of the main transport pipeline from the spring to the municipality of Zenica (approx. 33km), as well as side branches and facilities that enabled the connection of the existing distribution pipeline to the water network of the above mentioned municipalities.
The development of project documentation needed to begin the construction, that is, to establish a regional public company that will manage the water supply system, was funded by the European Commission through the Infrastructure Projects Facility in the Western Balkans Program. The project was implemented by the international consulting fcompany WYG International, supported by experts from Hydro-Engineering Institute Sarajevo.
The project consisted of four basic components:
Development of Hydrological Study to define the minimum yield of the Plava Voda spring in Travnik;
Development of conceptual and main design of the Plava Voda regional supply system;
Development of Environmental and Socio-Economic Study for credit institutions and Ministry of Environment as part of the environmental permitting procedure;
Tendering procedure for selection of contractors and procurement of construction materials;
A Spring Protection Study was also developed for the purposes of this project.