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It will provide substantial benefit to the city
In 1994 the Mayor’s office in St.Petersburg made an application to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development for funds to complete the construction of the St.Petersburg Flood Protection Barrier. After a while the bank appointed “Sir Alexander Gibb” to carry out a Pre-feasibility study to assess and report on the economic, engineering, financial and environmental status of the Barrier. The comprehensive study of flood damages which was completed by the City of St.Petersburg in 1997 formed the basis of the economic evaluation. We came to a conclusion that the flood Barrier would provide substantial economic benefit to the City and therefore should be completed. It would secure the social infrastructure and the cultural heritage of St.Petersburg which is of major international importance... The completed design for the Barrier project represents sound and innovative solutions to the challenging engineering issues related to its primary role of protecting St.Petersburg from flooding as well as its secondary role of forming an element of the ring road which is being built around St.Petersburg. Elements of design which are currently in the process of review and completion provide opportunities for technical optimisation, and for improving economic viability of the whole Barrier project. The prime objective of this is to minimise the completion, operation and maintenance costs while maintaining reliability and durability. The standard of construction of the partially complete Barrier is generally sound and appropriate to the application. It is envisaged that, when operational, the Barrier will be adequately durable to withstand the elements. Certainly, it is subject to the completed works achieving the high standard, which is also required to minimise maintenance costs. The Barrier is a major infrastructure project. For its completion to be realised it will require substantial investment — about $500 million. Also, about $700 million is required for completion of the highway over the Barrier. The prime sources of funding are: Federal grant, international financing institutions such as International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and EBRD; local taxation and associated Barrier developments. All parties involved in the Study of the Barrier and of Neva Bay agree, that water quality in the Bay is very poor, especially in terms of bacterial and heavy metal contamination. Data also shows steady eutrophication of the coastal zones of the Bay, a situation that has worsened over the past thirty years. Arguments over the role of the Barrier in the deterioration of water quality in the Bay have raged since construction began. Detractors of the scheme point to the deterioration in water quality over these years. Supporters of the scheme point out that deterioration in water quality is a more regional problem involving both Lake Ladoga and the Eastern Gulf of Finland. The limited amount of data taken before commencement of construction makes it difficult to assess the impact of the Barrier. However, GIBB concur with the results of the 1990 International Commission that the Barrier has resulted in some localised environmental change, but that concern should be directed towards the root of the problem which is attributed to the poor control over liquid wastes and run-off in St.Petersburg and the Neva catchment area. GIBB support the development of a Ladoga — Neva integrated water management authority to monitor and control the entire water system. A single authority with appropriate legislative powers should be an effective, enabling body to ensure that the water quality within the Ladoga-Neva water system returns to acceptable international standards.
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