The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

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The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide Committees were then charged with the task of selecting the most serious problems facing the community and developing a costeffective strategy to address these problems, taking into consideration the limited financial resources of the municipality. Two problems were identified as having the highest priority for action—poor quality and low quantity of drinking water, and pervasive air pollution. Identification and Selection of Action Strategies A workshop was held to develop environmental strategies for specific problems. Focusing on drinking water and air pollution, the Committees collected information on potential implementation strategies. Long-term goals were set to provide guidance in selecting strategies, and information on alternative strategies was gathered from both the US and Western Europe. As part of this process, a delegation of 11 Bulgarians visited the US and Canada to collect information and observe how environmental programs are implemented. A one-day workshop was held on developing an environmental Action Plan. Among other criteria, potential strategies were evaluated through brainstorming sessions and group discussions, based on their relative cost efficiency, effectiveness in addressing the problem, and time needed for implementation. The Committees then summarized the information on the risks associated with each problem and the appropriate strategies for the top-priority problems. Initially, the Action Plans consisted of detailed lists of strategies and sub-strategies grouped into five categories: • education and public involvement; • economic incentives and sanctions; • municipal programs; • technical assistance; and • acts and regulations. Bearing in mind the limited financial resources of the project, the Committee analyzed and ranked the strategies. A profile of each problem was developed through group consensus, which included: a problem description; goals and objectives in solving the problem; strategies and practical steps; and obstacles for solutions. A conservation strategy was chosen, which included infrastructure repairs as well as water efficiency and conservation measures. A draft document was circulated for comment by the public, city council, and municipal government, and a final plan was prepared and approved by the Troyan City Council. The Final Report and Environmental Action Plan, prepared by the Troyan EAP citizens’ committees, is a 90-page document that gives an overview of the project as well as its process and results. It contains a ranking of the various environmental problems and a discussion of each problem in terms of impact on human health, ecosystems, and quality of life. The document includes objectives and strategies to deal with each problem, and an implementation plan for addressing the drinking water problem that identifies specific steps, details organizational management, delineates responsible groups and agencies, and establishes a budget. Strategy Implementation The Action Plan document has been used as a framework for strategy implementation. The first action plan focused on the water problem. The objectives of this action plan included increasing the quantity of drinking water and improving its quality and distribution. A number of measures were considered and it was decided that implementing a conservation and education program was the most cost-effective way to solve the water quantity problem. The concrete steps required to implement this strategy included: control and repair of leaks in water mains, creation of new local regulations to encourage the efficient use of water, especially by industries, sanctions against those who waste water, and the creation of an education program to explain strategy and to encourage efficient water use. Repairing leaks in the water mains was chosen as the highest priority action because 50-60 percent of the available water was being lost before it reached consumers, and because similar programs had achieved positive results in several US communities. In cooperation with the municipal government and the local water utility, the Committees established a comprehensive program to detect and repair leaks in the underground water main and distribution pipes. The municipality purchased leak detection equipment and an expert from a US Water Resources Authority helped local water utility officials launch the program. http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (72 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide The plan also targeted industrial water use, since this consumes more than 60 percent of Troyan’s drinking water. A Bulgarian-born, Canadian wastewater specialist conducted wastewater audits for five Troyan industries that revealed enormous opportunities for saving water and reducing wastewater flows. The committees recommended, and the local government will be implementing, an industrial water audit and control program to reduce industrial water consumption. In addition, the municipality sponsored a technical workshop for 20 industry representatives on pollution prevention and waste minimization. Finally, the Committees supported the establishment of the Troyan Environmental Education and Information Center. Based in the school system, the center is developing environmental education curricula and producing and disseminating environmental education materials. The center’s initial focus is educating children on ways to save water. A coordinator for the center has been hired, and Troyan’s mayor has appointed a Board to oversee its activities. In order to implement the water strategy, the municipality had to design a new institutional structure for water management. The local water utility had no water conservation department or programs; as a first step, a leak detection unit was founded. In addition, a new municipal law was promulgated to establish citizen ownership over the local water resources, and new regulations were enacted to control the use of drinking water. A Local Ordinance that stipulates the collection and dissemination of environmental information, environmental monitoring, programming and realization of environmental activities, as well as the rights and responsibilities of the municipality, companies, and citizens for environmental protection, was developed. Industries are required to file reports about water practices, showing sources and consumption rates as well as wastewater details and how they are complying with standards for various discharges. The Troyan EAP has demonstrated how a municipality, with the active participation of its citizens and effective planning tools, can prioritize environmental problems, formulate cost-effective strategies to deal with these problems, and create new partnerships to implement the desired actions. Contacts Paul Markowitz Project Director Community Planning and Implementation Program Institute for Sustainable Communities 56 College Street Montpelier, VT, USA, 05602-3115 Tel.: +1-802/229-2900 Fax: +1-802/229-2919 E-mail: isc@together.org Sasho Ignatovski Secretary to the Municipal Council Vuzrazhdane Square 5600 Troyan, Bulgaria Tel.: +359/670-22629 Fax: +359/670-23215 References Markowitz, P. Guide to Community Environmental Action in Bulgaria. Montpelier, VT: Institute for Sustainable Communities, 1994. Markowitz, P. Bulgarian Community Environmental Action Project: Final Results and Evaluation. Montpelier,VT: Institute for Sustainable Communities, 1994. http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (73 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM
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