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Wells- What is the Water We Drink?

Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania
Author: Rimantas Krankalis
Consortium Member: Baltic Ecological Programs Office (ECOLOGIA)
Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1090 Collected: $1090 Needs: $0
Result: Thanks to this donation, town residents and the local government in the city of Siauliai were informed about the pollution levels of their well water.
Donors: Chenango Forks High School Model United Nations Conference, Binghamton New York [April 1997], and Ron Blum in memory of Yosef Goldring; with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds
Comment: Public education leads to constructive political involvement. See theProgress Report, as well as the Final Report.

Note: This project has been fully funded, and is underway. Many thanks to the Chenango Forks Model United Nations Club from Binghamton, New York, and to Ron Blum, for their donations which made it possible. This project has received favorable press coverage on Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.

Project Goals:

1. To draw the attention of town residents and local government officials to the problems of our well water: its poor quality and its pollution levels.
2. To increase the environmental education of school-children and city residents: to understand or at least to be interested in environmental problems, we must know where we live, what we eat, what is the water we drink, and all together improve the current situation.
3. To involve local government and legal institutions in solving these problems.
4. To hold a conference: "What is the water we drink?" for school-children.

Vaidas Blazys, of ECOLOGIA, demonstrates proper water sampling techniques on Lake Galve in Lithuania (1993)

Information About Our Organization Our environmental and cultural monuments protection club "Aukuras" is located in Siauliai, Lithuania. The project director is Rimantas Krankalis. Our first action was on June 6, 1988, started by people who objected to the devastation of Kurtuvenai landscape preserve. Two years ago, Kurtuvenai was designated as a national park and protected area. Our club has also publicized the problems of drinking water and sewage treatment in Siauliai. Club members have been actively involved in Lithuanian Green Movement actions, such as the milk boycott action (to call attention to the issue of contaminated milk) and Action for Clean Wells. We have organized conferences on landscape protection and reclamation issues, and have spoken against polution caused by leather processing industry development in Siauliai. We supported the construction of a water treatment plant; our club activities helped to form public opinion, and the construction of the NUGELEZINIMO water treatment plant was finished (construction was started in 1993).

There are 12 Club members. The aim of "Aukuras" Club is to introduce the public to environmental problems, raise public environmental culture, encourage self-education, and protect natural monuments.

Project Summary Siauliai is the one of the most polluted cities of Lithuania, and the main problem in Siauliai is drinking water quality. City residents are supplied with drinking water from three watering-places: two of them are in the city, the third one is located in Dzidai - 20 km out of the town. Quality of drinking water is very bad; hardness of the water, amount of iron and sediments in the water are significant.

The most important is the problem of well water quality. Approximately 15% of all the houses in Siauliai are private, some housing estates (Medelynas, Zokniai, Pabaliai, Kalniukas, Gubernija) are not in the municipal sewerage and central water supply system, and drinking water in these housing estates is of poor quality. City residents must pour sewage into specially constructed tankages and periodically take them out. Often because of carelessness, tolerance of neighbours and economic difficulties (increasing costs of special transportation) sewage is just poured into gutters and streets, flooding neighbours' cellars and yards. Finally this water gets into the wells. Besides that, industrial pollution problems exist. According to the episodical studies of more than 50% of all the wells, at least one pollutant exceeded permissible concentrations. Kalniukas and Medelynas residential areas are polluted particularly.

Involving students, teachers and local residents, we expect to draw local government and other organizations' attention to this specific problem and make it known using different information means, at meetings with local officials. Their complaints that the municipality has no money for solution of this problem should not hinder efforts to overcome the deadlock. It's becoming even more important, because pollution of ground water affects the quality of underground water. People must be more active to solve their local environmental problems.

Project Concept Implementation of the project will make the problems of city ground water public. Such an action is popular for gathering different environmental and educational organizations. At present, when indifference to the environment is widespread, solutions are only possible by organizing concrete activities, and implementing well-known environmental education methods.

Club "Aukuras" members, school-children, NGOs, and concerned residents will participate in the project. We expect 100 people to take part in the actions: "Wells. What is the Water we Drink?" We will inform about this activity by mass media (local press, radio, TV), so that more residents of city could participate. It will be voluntary action. Financing is needed for preparation of materials, water sample evaluation, summarizing results, and preparing for the students' conference and information distribution.

Methods of Implementation Member of "Aukuras" Club, and lecturer of environment course at Siauliai University, Rimantas Krankalis is responsible for project implementation. Experienced environmentalists will be involved in the project.

Stages of Project Implementation:

1. Preparation of methodical materials. Informing the schools about the goals, aims, expecting results. Involving school-children. Informing about the action by mass media, publishing booklets and posters (10, 1997-12, 1997).

2. Collecting and evaluation of samples (nitrates in the water), evaluation of the results. This work will be done in schools; school-children will participate in the project. (01, 1998- 03,1998).
3. Preparation for students' conference (invitations to students and lecturers from other places, meeting space, small gifts, tours to environmental "hot spots", meetings with local officials (04, 1998).
4. Preparation of conference materials, printing and distribution (05, 1998).

Budget