BRIEFING NOTE:A Regional Strategy for the Rio Bogota ProjectGreg Browder (Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank), Carmen Yee (Water & Sanitation Specialist, World Bank)

WPP

Bogota River Project - Components

Component 1 ($335 million): Upgrade and expansion of the Salitre Wastewater Treatment Plant (see model above) from 4 to about 8m3/s to treat, convey, and discharge wastewater from three microbasins into the Bogota River.

Component 2 ($140 million): Carry out flood control and environmental improvements to reduce the risk of flooding and establish multifunctional zones along the river.

Component 3 ($7 million): Carry out studies to assist in the environmental sustainability of the Bogota River.

Component 4 ($5 million): Strengthen the capacity of the CAR for the day-to-day implementation of the project. This component also includes carrying out a public outreach campaign and training.

WPP Briefing Note 1 / August 2010

The Water Partnership Program (WPP) is a $20 million program

funded by the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The

WPP aims to enhance the World Bank’s performance on reducing

poverty through the mainstreaming of pragmatic approaches for Water

Resources Management and development, and the improvement of

quality and effectiveness of Water Service Delivery.

WATER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

The $487 million Rio Bogota Project consists of a large wastewater treatment plant and

river works in the middle basin of the river where the city of Bogota is located. The project

will be implemented by the Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca (CAR), and

is part of a much larger long-term program to improve environmental conditions in the entire

basin. While environmental assessments for large wastewater projects generally do not nor-

mally include a comprehensive discussion of broader basin water management issues (but

focus primarily on the infrastructure to be constructed), the size and importance of the Rio

Bogota Project, and its overall impact on basin water quality and uses, made it necessary to

devote an entire volume of the environmental assessment (EA) to the regional basin plan-

ning context and strategy.

The Water Partnership Program (WPP) provided a grant to assist the CAR in the preparation

of a regional strategy document (Volume 1 of the Project EA), which helped to expand public

understanding of the basin context and strategy, and how the Rio Bogota Project fits into the

broader basin strategy. The document was the most comprehensive environmental assess-

ment ever prepared for any wastewater project in Colombia. The Safeguard Advisory Team

of the Latin American and the Caribbean Region (LCR) sees this strategy as a best case

example for other projects in Colombia and the next round of basin planning in the Bogota

River. It also recommends its replication in the preparation of regional studies and projects

in other Latin American cities and basins.

Thus, the WPP grant has not only had a major impact on a large wastewater project, but

can be expected to similarly improve the design of wastewater and water quality programs

in other countries when replicated.

The Rio Bogota Project: Environmental Recuperation and Flood Control

During the past decade, water and sanita-

tion coverage in Colombia have improved

significantly; however, the wastewater treat-

ment rate remains relatively low. Many riv-

ers flowing through urban areas are highly

polluted, and estuaries and near-shore ar-

eas of coastal cities also experience water

quality problems. To address this situation,

the Ministry of Environment, Housing, and

(Photo: CAR)

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Territorial Development (MADVT) formulat-

ed an action plan to establish a framework

for improvements in wastewater manage-

ment in large urban areas. All large cities in

Colombia, including Bogota, are currently

undertaking investment programs to ad-

dress water pollution concerns.

The metropolitan area Bogota, which has

a population of over 8 million people, dis-

charges all of its wastewater into the Bo-

gota River, but only 20 percent receives

primary treatment. The average dry season

flow entering Bogota is around 10 m3/s

and the city discharges an additional 22

m3/s of wastewater, resulting in extremely

high levels of water pollution. The holding

reservoir for a hydropower facility down-

stream of Bogota, the Muna reservoir, is

also highly contaminated.

The Bogota District Government, in con-

junction with the CAR and the national

government, is undertaking an ambitious

mega-program (estimated costs in the or-

der of $1.5 billion) to improve environmen-

tal conditions in the Bogota River. The CAR

has requested $250 million in World Bank

financing for the $487 million Rio Bogota

Environmental Recuperation and Flood

Control Project (the Rio Bogota Project),

which is part of the larger program. The

project’s objective is to transform the river

by improving water quality, reducing the

risk of flooding, restoring riparian habitats,

and creating multifunctional areas along

the river that provide an ecological habi-

tat, as well as opportunities for the public

use and enjoyment of this urban river. To

address these issues, the project has four

components: wastewater treatment, river

works, water and environmental studies,

and institutional strengthening efforts.

It is anticipated that the project will lead to

improvements in the water quality of the

river’s middle basin such that it will meet

Class IV (suitable for agricultural use) wa-

ter quality standards. In addition, it is ex-

pected that flood control protection in the

metropolitan area will result in less than a

1 percent chance of flooding every year

(a flood return design standard of at least

100 years). Finally, an area of approximate-

ly 175 hectares (divided into eight multi-

functional areas) will be restored along the

river to provide for inundation zones, eco-

logical habitats, and public spaces.

Among the benefits of this project are

improved living conditions for 11,165 low

income families (approx. 50,000 people)

who live along the river and must currently

deal with frequent flooding and poor water

quality. The project will essentially eliminate

flood risk and improve environmental con-

ditions.

WPP Support Instrumental in the Prep-aration of the Regional Basin Strategy

Although there exist many planning stud-

ies, technical reports, and water quality

modeling results, the CAR requested tech-

nical assistance in preparing a strategic

planning framework that brings all this

information together and analyzes it in a

comprehensive manner suitable for both

experts and the general public. The WPP

provided a grant to support the prepara-

tion of a regional basin planning strategy.

This document has been successfully

used to explain these large infrastructure

investments to experts and stakeholders

as well as garner support for the project

and the CAR’s vision for the environmental

2 / WWW.WORLDBANK.ORG/WATER/WPP

The water in this attractive bend of the river in Bogota city is highly polluted and smelly. The Rio Bogota

project will improve water quality and help restore riparian habitats in this area. (Photo: CAR)

restoration of urban rivers. Indeed, the doc-

ument has become an important reference

for both the general public and the gov-

ernment. It was accepted by the Bank and

has become key to the preparation of the

$487 million Rio Bogota Project (the CAR

has requested a $250 million Bank loan).

The document was also used as input into

Colombia’s National Planning Department

report (CONPES) authorizing the project.

The regional strategy was also shared with

the environmental engineering community

at a national conference in Colombia and

an international conference in the United

States.

Significantly, the CAR has relied on this

document to present the project and its

strategic context to key stakeholders in

Colombia. The document was presented at

public meetings in Bogota and was also re-

viewed by a panel of experts. Participants

in the two public consultations included

representatives from government agen-

cies, NGOs, universities, and community

organizations.

The environmental assessment presents

five main outcomes and innovations. It pro-

vides documentation as well as an analysis

of water use, pollution sources, and water

quality in the Bogota River Basin. It sum-

marizes the institutional and legal frame-

work for water resource management, and

the historical efforts and on-going pro-

grams and plans to improve water quality.

In addition, water quality modeling exercis-

es were undertaken as part of the assess-

ment to confirm that secondary treatment

is required for the Salitre wastewater treat-

ment plant in order to meet water quality

objectives in the Bogota River. The regional

strategy assessed the relative importance

of other pollution sources through wa-

ter quality modeling exercises, including

upstream wastewater treatment in small

municipalities and non-point source urban

water pollution from Bogota. Finally, the

document highlights the importance of

controlling urban water run-off in order to

meet coliform standards.

Lessons learned from the WPP activity

Comprehensive Wastewater Management:

Although the existing 4 m3/s Salitre pri-

mary wastewater treatment plant has been

operating for over a decade, there has

been no significant improvement in water

quality in the Bogota River and 70 percent

of the city’s wastewater continues to flow

untreated. Before expansion and upgrad-

ing of the plant takes place, a compre-

hensive plan for wastewater management,

both within and upstream of Bogota, must

be put into place.

The CAR and the Department of Cun-

dinamarca (where the city of Bogota is

located) are currently working on a com-

prehensive wastewater management pro-

gram with several small municipalities that

will increase overall treatment from around

40 percent to over 80 percent by 2015. In

addition, Empresa de Agua y Alcantarillado

de Bogota (EAAB) is currently construct-

ing large wastewater interceptors to collect

70 percent of Bogota’s wastewater and

convey it downstream. The combination of

the interceptors and upstream wastewater

programs will help ensure that water qual-

ity objectives in the middle section of the

basin will be achieved.

This approach does not directly address

water quality problems in the lower part of

the Bogota River Basin, which will continue

into the medium-term. In order to address

these issues, as well as plan the next phase

of the city’s wastewater program, the proj-

ect design includes consulting services to

help prepare an integrated water manage-

ment plan for the entire basin.

Incorporating Ecological Design into Flood

Control Works: Typically, urban flood con-

trol projects focus exclusively on reducing

flood risks by deepening rivers and creat-

ing channels, and/or by raising embank-

ments. This approach results in a river with

little ecological value as riparian areas, me-

anders, and flood plains cease to exist. As

explained in the EA—which was prepared

with technical assistance from WPP, the

design of the Rio Bogota Project will ad-

dress some of these deficiencies by re-

storing meanders, increasing the distance

between the dikes to create riparian zones,

and maintaining hydraulic connections with

adjoining wetland areas. The project aims

to create a dynamic multifunctional river

with ecological and recreational value, as

well as reduce the risks of flooding.

Managing Wastewater Treatment Plant

Biosolids: Wastewater treatment plants

produce large amounts of biosolids that

A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR THE RIO BOGOTA PROJECT / 3

Comprehensive wastewater management,Incorporating ecological design into flood con-trol works, and Managing wastewater treatment plant biosolids.

The lessons learned as a result of the WPP activity fall into three main areas:

need to be treated and disposed. Typically,

biosolids management costs represent

at least 30 percent of the total costs of

operating a wastewater treatment plant

and constitute a major management chal-

lenge. As a result of the work undertaken

with WPP support and to address this is-

sue, the project design includes technical

assistance for a Biosolids Master Plan to

address the medium- and long-term chal-

lenges of biosolids management.

Outcomes and Impact

Normally, environmental assessments for

wastewater projects do not comprehen-

sively address broader basin water man-

agement issues, but focus primarily on the

infrastructure to be constructed. In this

case, because of the size and significance

of the Rio Bogota Project, it was deemed

important to devote an entire volume of the

environmental assessment to the regional

basin planning context and strategy. The

WPP grant was used to support the prepa-

ration of this assessment and develop the

strategy for the basin.

The resulting exercise is the most com-

prehensive environmental assessment

ever prepared for any wastewater project

in Colombia. Evidence of the importance of

this effort is in the recognition given to the

regional strategy by the LCR Safeguard

Advisory Team, which not only cited it as

an example of a best practice for other

projects in Colombia and the next round of

basin planning in the Bogota River, but also

recommended its replication in the prepa-

ration of regional studies and projects in

other Latin American cities and basins.

Moreover, it suggested that this framework

should be provided as a template to other

clients and Bank teams undertaking large

wastewater and water quality improvement

projects. The Safeguard Advisory Team

noted that “The analysis of alternatives in

Volume 1 of the EA, based on a range of

possible scenarios, and the simulation of

outcomes is outstanding and constitutes

good practice from an environmental per-

spective.”

In addition, the research and analysis pro-

cess that went into the creation of this plan

had a substantial impact on institutional

strengthening in Colombia as it not only

helped improve the ability of the CAR to

undertake water modeling exercises, but

also its presentation capabilities.

References

Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca

(CAR). 2010. Río Bogotá – Adecuación Hidráulica

y Recuperación Ambiental: Evaluación ambiental

y Plan de gestión ambiental. Vol. 1. Estrategia re-

gional & Vol. 2. Evaluación ambiental. Bogota.

Wikipedia. Urban Water Management in Bo-

gota, Colombia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Urban_water_management_in_Bogot%C3%A1,_

Colombia#cite_ref-WBPAD_11-0

World Bank and Corporación Autónoma Regional

de Cundinamarca. 2010. Rio Bogota Environmen-

tal Recuperation and Flood Control Project. Power-

Point Presentation. Washington, D.C. March.

World Bank. 2010. Project Appraisal Document

on a Proposed Loan in the Amount of US$250

Million to the Corporación Autónoma Regional de

Cundinamarca for a Río Bogotá Environmental Re-

cuperation and Flood Control Project. Washington,

D.C. Unpublished.

The WPP grant has had a major impact on a large wastewater project and, when replicated throughout the Region, can be expected to similarly improve the de-sign of wastewater and water quality pro-grams in other countries.

A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR THE RIO BOGOTA PROJECT / 4

The Water Partnership Program (WPP) supports activities in all World Bank Borrowing Member Countries, and imple-

ments its objectives through five lines of action/themes: (a) Water Supply and Sanitation; (b) Agricultural Water Manage-

ment; (c) Water for Energy; (d) Environmental Services; and (e) Water Resources Management. The WPP’s activities

are coordinated through nine Windows: six Regional Windows managed by the Regional water units, a Global Window

implemented by the Water Anchor, a World Bank Institute Window, and the Expert Support Window, consisting of three

Expert Support Team sub-windows managed in the Water Anchor.

The WPP is coordinated by a Program Management Team based in the Water Anchor Unit of the Department of Energy,

Transport, and Water of the World Bank.