Swedish Environment Agency and Latvian Environmental Protection Fund project “Sewage sludge management in Latvia in accordance with EU regulatory requirements”

Project duration: 08.2004 – 11.2005
During the course of an international project, in collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Institute for Environment and Agriculture, solutions were outlined for managing sewage sludge.

Danube_utilized_agriculture.pdf
When treating urban and rural wastewater, clean water and sewage sludge are left behind. In Latvia, around 60% of sewage sludge produced annually is stored in wastewater treatment plants without the possibility of further use. This results in large-scale long-term environmental and hygiene risks, the impact of which is difficult to predict.
Sewage sludge, based on its nitrogen and phosphorus content, as well as other agrochemical properties, can also be used as a good organic fertilizer, which returns a significant amount of plant nutrients to agricultural lands.
In order to successfully address issues related to sewage sludge management, the project “Sewage sludge management in Latvia in relation to EU requirements” was implemented in cooperation with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Institute for Environment and Agriculture. The project was funded by the Swedish Environment Agency in the amount of 80 %.
The project received co-financing from the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund. This allowed for a more efficient and comprehensive implementation of the planned measures in Latvia, successfully learning and using the experience of European countries, and educating professionals and the public in the field.
To achieve the project goals and successfully implement them, a cooperation team was established, which included consultants from the Farmers' Council, the Latvian Waste Management Association, the Latvian State Forestry Institute "Silava", the Latvian University of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, SIA "Strasa" and specialists from SIA Agito. The implementation of the international project began in July 2004 and continued until December 2005.
More information about the project http://sludge.silava.lv.
For current information for farmers, please find it under the chapter "Use of sewage sludge" in the "Agriculture" section.
Funders:
Swedish Environment Agency – 2,405,000 SEK
Latvian Environmental Protection Fund – 5,000 LVL