Presentation given by Stefan Nicolau on behalf of the Romania Agricultural Pollution Control project at the 4th Nitrogen Conference, part of the Global Nitrogen Initiative.

1. Agricultural Pollution Control
Project
WBTF 050327- RO
ROMANIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Project Management Unit
Stefan NICOLAU, PhD
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
The Government
of Romania
Global Environment
Facility
The World Bank
Nitrogen 4th
Conference, October 1–5, 2007
Costa do Sauipe, Bahia, Brazil

2. Country location into the Black Sea Basin

3. ROMANIA – GENERAL INFORMATION
Area: 238,392 km2
Population: 22.7 mil. inh.
Capital: Bucharest
No. of Counties: 42
Large Cities: 7
Communes: 2,686
Agricultural
Land: 14.9 mil. ha
Forests: 6.4 mil. ha
International Waters
(Danube River): 1.075 km
National Waters: 9,301 km

4. The data published by the ICPDR shows that Romania is an important
contributor to the overall pollution of the Danube River with nutrients
from non point sources

5. Project Global Environmental Objectives
• The global environmental objective of the
Project is to reduce, over the long-term,
the discharge of nutrients (nitrogen and
phosphorous) into the Danube River and
Black Sea through integrated land and
water management of the Calarasi region
and ecological rehabilitation of two
agricultural polders.

7. Project Financing Sources
Total Project value: US$ 10.8 mil., out of which:
• US$ 5.15 mil. World Bank from GEF funds;
• US$ 1.86 mil. Government of Romania;
• US$ 0.29 mil. Calarasi County Council;
• US$ 1.0 mil. From the Governmental “Agricultural
Support Services” Project;
• US$ 2.50 mil. In kind contribution of the direct
beneficiaries.
• US$ 0.16 mil. Parallel financing of the USAID

8. Cooperation with Other International
Financed Projects
• Parallel financing for one supplemental pilot platform and manure
management training, from funds granted by USAID;
• Cooperation with the WB assisted project “Agricultural Suport
Services”, for a joint implementation of a Competitive Grant
Scheme in Calarasi County;
• Close cooperation with the WB financed project “Rural
Development”, implemented in Calarasi,

9. Project Components
Component 1 – Activities in Calarasi County (US$9.22 m)
a)At the County level, the APCP provded support for the CGS sub-
projects awarded in Calarasi on environment-friendly agricultural
practices (US$1.330 m)
b)In seven communes, comprising about 90,000 ha of land:
–Manure management practices (US$5.20 m);
–Testing/Demonstration of environmental friendly agricultural
practices (US$2.47 m);
–Integrated management of the Boianu–Sticleanu polder (US$0.83
m) and ecological restoration of the Calarasi–Raul polder (US$0.26 m);
–Strengthening the Capacity in Calarasi County to Monitor Soil and
Water Quality and Environmental Impacts (US$0.46 m);

10. Project Components
Component 2 – Strengthening National Policy and
Regulatory Capacity (US$0.27 m)
Providing technical assistance and material support to the
MEWM and MARD on:
– Application of the Nitrate Directive in the Romanian
Agriculture;
– Preparing a Code of Good Agricultural Practices;
– Strengthening the capacity of NAEA to promote scientific
organic farming and land use management.

11. Project Components
Component 3 – Public Awareness and Replication Strategy
(US$0.45 m)
- Local level campaign – Calarasi County
- National Level campaign
- Regional replication
Component 4 – Project Management Unit (US$0.87 m)

12. Identified sources of pollution with nutrients:
At household level:
Inappropriate manure
storage
Lack off or bad
conditions of the
concrete slab
protecting the water
well against direct
infiltrations
Aggravating factors:

13. Identified sources of pollution with nutrients:
At commune level:
Inappropriate manure
disposal

14. Identified sources of pollution with nutrients:
At commune level:
Inappropriate manure
disposal
Grazing of animals
on soil erosion
prone areas
Large areas of
slopped land draining
into watercourses
Temporary housing
of livestock near
watercourses

15. Project Interventions
Four levels actions:
I. Creating a minimum infrastructure for achieving visible
results at household and commune level;
II. Supporting local authorities to implement efficient
systems for manure management;
III. Inducing changes in the current behaviors;
IV. Monitoring the soil and waters quality.

16. Project Interventions
At household level
Individual Platforms
Plastic Bins for waste
segregation

17. Project Interventions
At household level
At commune level
Reclamation of former
unauthorized manure
storages
Construction and
operation of manure
storage and composting
facilities

18. Project Interventions
At commune level
Demonstrations of
well head
rehabilitation

19. Project Interventions
At commune level
Riparian Buffers with
forest vegetation
Windbreaks,
Shelterbelts

20. Inducing changes in current behaviors
Behavioral Changes
Manure management
Training
Technical assistance
Legal instruments

21. For manure management:
• Providing knowledge for
manure management and
its further use;
• Technical assistance for
platforms operating;
• Support for creating legal
instruments for assuring
an efficient system for
nutrients recovering.
Inducing changes in current behaviors

22. Inducing changes in current behaviors
• For extension consultants, mayors, commune officials and the
village inhabitants:
– Management of the waste at the household level;
– The use of the household manure platform;
– Use of the bins for the segregated house waste;
– Deposition of the segregated waste at the commune’s platform;
– The deposition of the recycling materials into the appropriate bunker.
• For extension consultants, mayors, commune officials and the site
staff:
– The benefits of the recycling of nutrients from the farmyard manure;
– Management and administration of a manure storage facility;
– Good Practices in storage and recycling nutrients;
– Timing of application and preparation of application plans.
• For the equipment operating staff:
– the use of the specific equipment;
– Forming and moving the windrows of manure.

23. Inducing changes in current behaviors
Behavioral Changes
Manure management
Environmental friendly agr. practices
Training
Technical assistance
Legal instruments
Testing-demonstrationprogram
Afforestation program
CGS
Public Awareness Campaign

24. Testing-demonstration program at
local level
• Demonstration of good agricultural practices for
farmers;

25. Weeds and
pests control
Crop rotation
Green fertilizersSoil tillage
Nutrients
management
Demonstrated
practices

26. Testing-demonstration program at
local level
• Demonstration of good agricultural practices for
farmers;
• Wells head protection program;
• Unauthorized platforms rehabilitation;

28. Testing-demonstration program at
local level
• Demonstration of good agricultural practices for
farmers;
• Wells head protection program;
• Unauthorized platforms rehabilitation;
• Support for local pastures rehabilitation;
• Granting funds for organic farming sub-projects
on competitive basis.

29. Local afforestation program
• Targeted areas for afforestation:
- sloped terrain, exposed to erosion and with low agricultural potential;
- unprotected water courses;
- areas with swamping tendency;
- eroded shores;
- degraded lands with low agricultural potential;
• Types of interventions
- windbreaks;
- shelterbelts;
- narrow vegetative barriers;
- riparian buffers;
- hedge rows and tree rows around manure platforms.

30. Local communities involvement for the
afforestation programme – Al. Odobescu 2003

31. Watercourse area planted with willows, Polder Boianu-
Sticleanu, Ciocanesti commune 2003

32. Water lodged area planted with tree in Boianu-Sticleanu
Polder, Cuza Voda commune, 2003.

33. Water lodged area planted with tree in Boianu-
Sticleanu Polder, Cuza Voda commune, 2004.

34. Trees planted area – Independenta commune, August 2002

35. Trees planted area – Independenta commune, August 2003

36. The same location, August 2004

37. Tree planted on the erosion-prone locations – Vlad Tepes commune

38. Local Public Awareness Campaign
Objectives:
• Informing the population regarding the Project
and its objectives;
• Dissemination of information regarding the
Project supported activities, inside and outside
Project area;
• Public ecological education;
• Targeted activities for sustaining Project
implementation.

39. Using existing events (Danube Day – Calarasi 2004)

43. Creating new events (Crop Festival – Valcelele 2004)

44. Creating new events (Crop Festival – Cuza Voda
2005)

45. Contests (planting contest – Cuza Voda 2003)

46. Flopi campaign-2004

47. Pictures extibition, 2003

48. Promotional materials

50. Project Interventions
At project area
level:
A detailed
water quality
monitoring
network
Rehabilitation
of the water
and soil
quality
monitoring
laboratories

51. Measuring results of nutrient pollution control interventions
• Monitoring the nutrients concentration into the surface and
ground water and review of eutrophical state of the surface
waters at regular intervals.
• Use of indirect measurement methods.
Options:

52. Measuring nutrients concentration into the ground and surface waters
Strong points:
– It shows the actual
quality of the ground
and surface waters at
designated measuring
stations.
Weak points:
– The existing sampling
stations could be not
representative for
project interventions.
– The frequency of
measurements could
not catch stochastic
events as storm rains,
snow melting or variable
factors as fertilizers or
manure applications.
– The trend of nutrient
concentration does not
reflect only the project
interventions.
– It is expensive.

53. Nitrate concentration in Piezometers
Piezometer P5
0.000
5.000
10.000
15.000
20.000
25.000
01.09.03
01.11.03
01.01.04
01.03.04
01.05.04
01.07.04
01.09.04
01.11.04
01.01.05
01.03.05
01.05.05
01.07.05
01.09.05
01.11.05
01.01.06
01.03.06
01.05.06
01.07.06
Testing Date
NO3-mg/l
NO3
Piezometer P8
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
01.09.03
01.11.03
01.01.04
01.03.04
01.05.04
01.07.04
01.09.04
01.11.04
01.01.05
01.03.05
01.05.05
01.07.05
01.09.05
01.11.05
01.01.06
01.03.06
01.05.06
01.07.06
Testing Date
NO3-mg/l
NO3

54. Drinking water quality
Water Well C18
0.000
20.000
40.000
60.000
80.000
100.000
120.000
24.11.03
24.01.04
24.03.04
24.05.04
24.07.04
24.09.04
24.11.04
24.01.05
24.03.05
24.05.05
24.07.05
24.09.05
24.11.05
24.01.06
24.03.06
Testing Date
NO3-mg/l
NO3

55. Why use the indirect measurement methods?
• Are based on extensive scientific research.
• Allow assessment of total results of a variety of diverse interventions.
• Are cheap and offer good accuracy.
• Allow for quantitative estimate in terms of nutrient pollution reduction using
the survey results.
• Allow for forecasting of results of new projects implementing the same
nutrient pollution control interventions.

56. Before Project (Year 2000)
Total
manure
(tons):
Of which:
Use Comments
% tons
80,184
2 1,604
As fertilizers in the back
yard vegetable garden
Good practice,
reduced looses
98 78,850
Mixed with household
waste and dumped in
unauthorized places
The entire
quantity of
nutrients is lost
Nutrients
(kg/t)
N P K
6 3.5 8
Nutrients in fresh manure

57. Year 2006 (Project year 5)
Total
manure
(tons):
Of which:
Use Comments
% tons
80,184
5 4,009
As fertilizers in the back yard
vegetable garden
Good practice,
reduced looses
29 22,950
Manure applied as fertilizer on
agricultural lands
Good practice.
Only the nutrients
that are not
available to plants
are lost
66 53,225
Still unmanaged manure,
source of pollution, due to the
inappropriate behavior of
some farmers
The entire quantity
of nutrients is lost
According the monitoring surveys and the communes’ reports, the use of the
manure during the year 2006 was as follows:

58. Reduction of nutrients discharge into the waters in the year 2006, due to
manure management interventions at commune and household levels:
N (t/year) P (t/year) K (t/year)
Nutrients subject to
leaching WITHOUT
PROJECT (t/year)
473.41 276.15 631.21
Nutrients subject to
leaching PY5 - 2006
(t/year)
389.57 194.83 489.59
Reduction of
nutrients discharge
into the ground and
surface waters in
year 2006 (t/year)
83.84 81.32 141.62

59. Total reduction of the nutrients discharge into the waters in the Project area, in
the year 2006, as result of appropriate Manure Management and use of the
Code of Good Agricultural Practices:
Reduction of nutrients
discharge into the ground
and surface waters in year
2006 (t/year)
From manure and factory made fertilizers used into
the Project area
N (t) P (t) K (t)
128.6 110.8 141.7

60. Effectiveness of investment
Demonstrations measured in terms
of actual stress reduction (N
reduction) achieved at the project
site(s)
Estimate of impact
achievable through country-
wide application of new
approach (to all NVZs)
Extrapolation to the
entire watershed
Measurable during
project lifetime
Due to lag time of response, changes in
environmental status in the target water-
body will only be detected well beyond
project completion
Stress reduction Environmental status
Source: Andrea Merla – GEF Secretariat

62. N
(tons)
P
(tons)
K
(tons)
Present situation:
Total nutrients looses into the aquatic system
(tones/year)
15,350 8,950 20,460
After Project implementation (year 2013):
Total nutrients looses into the aquatic system
(tones/year)
11,010 5,255 15,585
Forecasted reduction of nutrients looses into the
aquatic system (tones/year)
4,340 3,695 4,875
Estimation of the impact achievable through application of manure
management and use of the Code of Good Agricultural Practices to all NVZs

63. Lessons learned that could be transferred to help other GPA – Partnership
in order to achieve similar results
The Recipe of a Smooth and Successful Implementation
- Strong support of the central coordinating authority and the World Bank
counterparts;
- Permanent contacts and substantial involvement of the local authorities
- Total commitment of the Project beneficiaries
- Timely and appropriate guidance from the National and Local Coordination
Committees
- GEF, GOR and Local funds available on timely basis
- A knowledgeable and dedicated Project Implementation Team.

64. Thank you for your attentionThank you for your attention
Project Management Unit “Agricultural Pollution Control”
Tel: +40.741.242.002; E-mail: snicolau@mailox.ro; www.apcp.ro