Montenegro attracts more than 600,000 tourists to its shores and towns each summer, doubling the population and straining infrastructure. Political conflicts and economic upheaval in the 1990s, and the influx of refugees from other regions of former Yugoslavia, have exacted a heavy toll on the water and wastewater systems.
To address imminent health threats in the region and improve vital services quickly, CDM implemented the complex and socially imperative 22-month, $8 million design-build Coastal Development and Environmental Improvements Project for Budva, Kotor, and Cetinje.
CDM designed, scheduled, and implemented more than 16 geographically diverse improvement projects by the 2005 tourist season, enhancing Montenegro's economy by allowing the successful accommodation of a 17-percent increase in tourist visits during the 2005 season, an estimated $5.5 million of construction-related income for the region, and employment opportunities for local citizens. Additionally, in a first-of-its-kind for the region, CDM involved community members, stakeholders, and subcontractors throughout the project, fostering a high degree of cooperation and ownership in the project's outcome.
During the project, CDM:
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Installed 5.3 kilometers of pipeline, 12 pumps, seven back-up generators, and two surge-protection tanks;
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Rehabilitated or repaired seven pump stations, 55 leaks
in water distribution and transmission pipelines, and 90 relief and isolation valves; and
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Constructed 3,000 cubic meters of drinking water storage facilities.
Results through the 2006 season:
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Tourist season drinking water interruptions of 1 hour or more dropped by as much as 96 percent.
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Infrastructure improvements saved 15 liters of drinking water per second, providing enough water to supply 13,000 tourists.
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System upgrades reduced the number of days that had wastewater pump service interruptions of 1 hour or more by more than 90 percent-from 30 event days to less than 5 in Budva, and from 24 event days to 0 in Kotor.