EnvironmentalProtectionofInternationalRiverBasinsProject

ContractNo.2011/279666 ThisprojectisfundedbyTheEuropeanUnion

AprojectimplementedbyaConsortiumledbyHulla&Co.HumanDynamicsKG

RIVERBASINMANAGEMENTPLANFORAKHURYANBASINMANAGEMENTAREA

(AKHURYANANDMETSAMORRIVERBASINS)

PRESSUREIMPACTANALYSISREPORT

Preparedby:

JointVentureofResourceManagementLLCandEnvironmentalPolicyAnalysisNGO

June2014

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TableofContents 1.METHODOLOGY..............................................................................................................................5 2.DRIVERS..........................................................................................................................................6 2.1.Agriculture.............................................................................................................................................6 2.2.Fishfarming...........................................................................................................................................9 2.3.Hydropower...........................................................................................................................................9 2.4.Waterabstractionandservices.........................................................................................................12 2.4.1.Waterabstractionforcommunalpurposes..........................................................................15 2.4.2.Waterabstractionforirrigation............................................................................................16 2.4.3.Industrialwaterabstraction..................................................................................................20 2.4.4.Waterabstractionforhydropowergeneration.....................................................................20 2.4.5.Waterabstractionforfishfarming........................................................................................20 2.4.6.Communalwastewater.........................................................................................................21

2.5.Industry................................................................................................................................................21 2.6Tourism.................................................................................................................................................24 2.7.Solidwastelandfills.............................................................................................................................25 2.8.Transport.............................................................................................................................................26 2.9.Futureinfrastructuredevelopment...................................................................................................28

3.TYPESOFPRESSURES....................................................................................................................29 3.1.Pointsourcepollution........................................................................................................................29 3.1.1.Communalwastewaterdischarge,includingthewastewaterpits........................................29 3.1.2.Wastewaterdischargefromfoodindustry............................................................................32 3.1.3.Wastewaterdischargefromnonfoodindustryandmining..................................................33 3.1.4.Solidwastes..........................................................................................................................34

3.2.Diffusesourcesofpollution...............................................................................................................35 3.2.1.Cultivationofagriculturalcropsanduseoffertilizers...........................................................35 3.2.2.Livestockproduction.............................................................................................................36 3.2.3.Vehicletransport..................................................................................................................38

3.3.Hydromorphologicalalterations........................................................................................................39 3.3.1.Waterabstraction.................................................................................................................39 3.3.2.Diversionofriverflow...........................................................................................................44 3.3.3.Floodprotection...................................................................................................................45

4.IMPACTS.......................................................................................................................................46 4.1.Approachusedtoassesstheimpactsofthepressures...................................................................46 4.2.Assessmentofbiologicalstatus.........................................................................................................46 4.3.Assessmentofchemicalstatus..........................................................................................................49 4.4.Assessmentofhydromorphologicalstatus.......................................................................................52

5.SIGNIFICANTWATERMANAGEMENTISSUESANDDATAGAPS......................................................54 5.1.IdentifiedsignificantwatermanagementissuesinAkhuryanBMA...............................................54 5.2.MajordatagapsinAkhuryanBMA....................................................................................................55 5.3.ProposalforthesecondJointFieldSurvey.......................................................................................56

Annex1.EcologicalNormsofWaterQualityinRiversofAkhuryanBasinManagementArea..............58 Annex2.AssessmentoftheChemicalStatusofWaterResourcesinAkhuryanBMA............................60 Annex3.RapidBiologicalAssessmentDeterminationScheme.............................................................69

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TableofTablesTable1:CropgrossproductionintheAkhuryanRiverbasin........................................................................................6Table2:NumberoflivestockintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,thousandcapita................................................................7Table3:CropgrossproductionintheMetsamorRiverbasin.......................................................................................7Table4:NumberoflivestockintheMetsamorRiverbasin..........................................................................................8Table5:CharacteristicsofsmallHPPsoperatingintheAkhuryanBasinManagementArea........................................9Table6:CharacteristicsofsmallHPPsinconstructionintheAkhuryanBasinManagementAreas............................10Table7:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofAkhuryanRiverbasin...................................................................................17Table8:CharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin...........................................................18Table9:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofMetsamorRiverbasin.................................................................................19Table10:CharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsofMetsamorRiverbasin..............................................................19Table11:StructureoftheindustrialproductofAkhuryanRiverbasinbybranchesofindustry,%............................22Table12:RelativelylargeenterprisesinAkhuryanRiverbasin..................................................................................22Table13:ProductionandsaleoftheindustrialproductsofAkhuryanRiverbasin,bytypesofeconomicactivity.....22Table14:StructureoftheindustrialproductofMetsamorRiverbasinbybranchesofindustry,%...........................23Table15:ProductionandsaleoftheindustrialproductsofMetsamorRiverbasin,bytypesofeconomicactivity....23Table16:RelativelylargeenterprisesinMetsamorRiverbasin.................................................................................24Table17:RoadsofAkhuryanBMAbytheirsiginificance............................................................................................26Table18:PassengerandcargotransportationsinAkhuryanBMAin2011................................................................28Table19:Impactofurbanwastewateraccordingtopopulationnumber..................................................................29Table20:PressurefromsewagewaterofthetownsofAkhuryanRiverbasin...........................................................30Table21:ProjectedvaluesinwaterqualityindicatorsofAkhuryanRiverbasinandactualmonitoringdata.............30Table22:PressurefromsewagewaterofthetownsofMetsamorRiverbasin..........................................................31Table23:ProjectedincrementsinwaterqualityindicatorsofMetsamorRiverbasinandactualmonitoringdata....31Table24:RelativelylargeenterprisesofMetsamorRiverbasin.................................................................................32Table25:AnnualpollutionloadsoffromlivestockproductionintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,ton/year......................37Table26:AnnualpollutionloadsoffromlivestockproductionintheMetsamorRiverbasin,ton/year.....................38Table27:DataonpasturesandcattleintheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins,asof2013................................38Table28:MaincharacteristicsofreservoirsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin...................................................................39Table29:MaincharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin................................................39Table30:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofAkhuryanRiverbasin.................................................................................40Table31:MaincharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheMetsamorRiverbasin...............................................41Table32:CharacteristicsofthecanalsintheMetsamorRiverbasin..........................................................................41Table33:MaincharacteristicsoftheSmallHPPsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin...........................................................42Table34:Minimumaveragemonthlyflowchanges,duetoanthropogenicactivity(millionm3)...............................47Table35:MacrozoobenthosstatusclassificationbasedontheresultsofJointFieldSurvey(June2013)..................47Table36:SummaryofthechemicalstatusassessmentinAkhuryanBMA................................................................50Table37:Preliminarydelineationofthehydromorphologicalqualityclasses............................................................52Table38:HydromorphologicalstatusclassificationbasedontheresultsofJointFieldSurvey(June2013)..............52Table39:SummaryofsignificantanthropogenicpressuresonwaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin...........54Table40:SummaryofsignificantanthropogenicpressuresonwaterresourcesoftheMetsamorRiverbasin..........55

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TableofFiguresFigure1:GrossagriculturalproductsintheAkhuryanRiverbasininbillionAMD........................................................7Figure2:GrossagriculturalproductintheMetsamorRiverbasininbillionAMD........................................................8Figure3:SmallHydropowerPlantsinAkhuryanBMAasofJanuary,2014.................................................................11Figure4:WaterabstractioninAkhuryanBMA(inthousandm3),asofJanuary,2014,accordingtowaterusepermits......................................................................................................................................................................12Figure5:WaterabstractioninAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins(inthousandm3),asofJanuary,2014,accordingtowaterusepermits.................................................................................................................................13Figure6:WaterabstractionpointsinAkhuryanBMA,asof01.01.2014,accordingtowaterusepermits.................14Figure7:ServiceareaofdrinkingwatersupplycompaniesinAkhuryanBMA..........................................................15Figure8:ServiceareaofWaterUserAssociationsinAkhuryanBMA.........................................................................17Figure9:LocationofmainindustrialenterprisesinAkhuryanBMA...........................................................................21Figure10:OpenburningofwasteinSasuniklandfill..............................................................................................25Figure11:LocationofsolidwastelandfillsandmainfishfarmsinAkhuryanBMA...................................................26Figure12:MaintransportnetworkofAkhuryanBMA...............................................................................................27Figure13:AgriculturalCropsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,hectares,asof2013........................................................35Figure14:AgriculturalCropsintheMetsamorRiverbasin,hectares,asof2013.......................................................36Figure15:LivestockintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,asof2013,thousandcapita.........................................................36Figure16:LivestockintheMetsamorRiverbasin,asof2013,thousandcapita.........................................................37Figure17:StretchoftheAkhuryanRiverwithmodifiedriverbed.............................................................................40Figure18:SectionsofAkhuryanRiverwhereecologicalflowisnotmaintainedduetoHPPoperation.....................42Figure19:CascadesmallHPPbeingconstructedonAkhuryanRiver......................................................................43Figure20:FlowalterationtrendobservedatMetsamorRanchpargaugingstation,intheperiodof19472004......44Figure21:Classificationofthesurfacewaterresourcesbybiologicalstatus.............................................................48Figure22:Classificationofthesurfacewaterresourcesbychemicalstatus..............................................................51Figure23:Classificationofthesurfacewaterresourcesbyhydromorphologicalstatus............................................53Figure24:LocationsofthesamplingpointsproposedfortheseconfJointFieldSurvey............................................57

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1.METHODOLOGYTheneedforconductinganalysisofpressuresand impactsforriverbasinplanning isformulated inArticle5of theEuropeanUnion (EU)WaterFrameworkDirective (WFD). Following theGuidanceDocument#3onAnalysisofPressuresandImpacts(ImpressDocument),theDriverPressureStateImpactReponses(DPSIR)approachhasbeenusedforidentificationofpressuresandanalysisoftheimpacts in the Akhuryan and Metsamor River basins of the Akhuryan Basin Management Area(BMA).Asthe firststep,the followingdriversaredescribed fortheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins:agriculture,fishfarming,hydropowergeneration,waterabstractionandservices,industry,tourism,landfills, transportand future infrastructuredevelopment.Pressuresstemming from thesedrivers,suchaschangeintheflowand/orchemistryofwaters,areanalyzedaccordingtothefollowingtypesofpressures:pointsourcepollution,diffusesourcepollutionandhydromorphologicalalterations intheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins.Chemical,biologicalandhydromorphologicalstatusofthesurfacewaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins are assessed as thenext step, and surfacewater resources classifiedbasedontheresultsoftheassessment.AssessmentofthechemicalstatuswasconductedbasedonecologicalnormsofwaterqualityintheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasinsthatwasapprovedbyGovernmentResolution#75Nin2011.The status of biological quality elements has been assessed using Rapid Biological Assessmentmethodbasedonthedataonbenthicmacroinvertebratecommunities.ThestatusofhydromorphologicalqualityelementshasbeenassessedbasedontheresultsofJointField Survey (JFS)using the classification scheme thathadbeendevelopedunder the EU TransBoundary RiverManagement Phase II for the Kura River basin Armenia, Georgia, AzerbaijanProject,andtestedwithinEPIRBProjectinAkhuryanBMAduringthefirstJFS.Basedontheassessmentresults,thesurfacewaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasinsareclassifiedaccordingtochemical,biologicalandhydromorphologicalstatus.At the final stage, the significantwater resourcemanagement issues in theboth riverbasinsareidentified. This also includes major data gaps which have been identified in the process ofassessment.The locationsofsamplingpointsproposedforfuturefieldsurveystofill inthegaps intermsofphysicalchemical,hydromorphologicalandbiologicalmonitoringarealsopresented.For conducting risk assessment, data and information contained in the report on River BasinAnalysisofAkhuryanWaterBasinManagementAreapreparedfortheEPRIBProjectwasupdatedand complement. Additional data was obtained from the Ministries of the Nature Protection,includingtheWaterResourcesManagementAgencyandAkhuryanBasinManagementorganization,AgricultureandTerritorialadministration,EmergencySituation,Shirak,AragatsotnandArmavirMarzAdministrations(Marzpetarans)ofArmenia,etc.ThepressureimpactanalysiswilldirectlyfeedintotheidentificationofwaterbodiesatriskthatfailtheEUWFDenvironmentalobjectives.Basedonthefindingsoftheriskassessment,thedelineationofwaterbodieswillberevised.

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2.DRIVERS2.1. Agriculture AgricultureisoneoftheleadingbranchesofeconomyintheAkhuryanBMA,includingAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins.In2013theagriculturallandsinAkhuryanRiverbasincomprisedanareaof230,000hectares,55%ofwhicharepastures,35%arablelands,5%grasslands,0.2%perennialsand4.8%areusedformiscellaneouspurposes.Themainprofilesofagriculturalproductionintheriverbasinarecropsproduction(grains,includingwheatandbarley,potatoes,vegetables,includingcabbage,carrots,beetroot,melons,foddercrops,suchasoatandalfalfa),aswellaslivestockproduction,includingcowsandsheep.Cropsproductionisprevailingoverthelivestockproduction.MostofthefertilesoilsareintheShirakValley.Themaincrops are grains, which are cultivated on about 70% of the cultivated land, fodder crops andpotatoes(Table1).Table1:CropgrossproductionintheAkhuryanRiverbasin

Crop Cultivatedland,hectares Grossproduct(AMDmillion)2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013Cereals 36,403 39,717 42,348 12.2 14.8 16.9Potatoes 3,667 4,148 4,219 12.7 12.1 12.6Vegetables 1,523 1,486 1,666 3.8 3.0 4.5Fruits 443 440 445 0.6 0.6 0.7Fodder 12,051 11,951 12,600 2.6 2.6 3.6Other 17 16 31 13.0 16.6 15.0

Source:AnnualReportoftheShirakMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheShirakMarzin2013,2014;NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014.AgriculturallandsintheAkhuryanRiverbasinareservedbyShirak,Aragats,AygabatsandAjapnyakWaterUsersAssociation (WUAs).The total serviceareaof theWUAs is28,600ha.The irrigationinfrastructureconsistsofabout20pump stations,networkof20 irrigationcanals, includingmain,secondaryand tertiarycanals,whichprovidewater from riversand reservoirs for irrigationof theagricultural landsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin.AsofJanuary2014thepermittedannualwateruseforirrigationpurposesintheriverbasincomprised1,664,527.5thousandm3,whichisabout77%ofthetotalpermittedwateruse.Duetopoorconditionoftheirrigationinfrastructure,waterlossesinthenetworkcurrentlycompriseabout50%.A cattle breeding has been a traditional branch of agriculture in the Akhuryan River basin.Widespread pastures in the river basin create favorable conditions for development of cattlebreeding.Thisisprovenbyannualincreaseofbothlivestockcapitaandlivestockyield.18,700beehivesexistedintheAkhuryanRiverbasinin2013.About8085%ofthelivestockisfedbygreenfodder,whereasasystemofcombinedfodderneedstobedevelopedintheriverbasin,whichwillincreaselivestockproduction(Table2).

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Table2:NumberoflivestockintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,thousandcapitaCattle Pigs Sheepandgoats Poultry

2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 201396.7 99.7 105.7 13.5 15.3 15.7 69.1 82.3 86.4 240.0 202.0 315.0

Source:Annual Report of the ShirakMarzpetaran on SocialEconomic Situation in the ShirakMarz in 2013, 2014;NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014.In2013about6,200itemsofagriculturalmachineryandequipmentweredeployedintheAkhuryanriverbasin,80%ofwhichareinoperablecondition.ThegrossagriculturalproductintheAkhuryanRiverbasinamountedto124.3billionAMDin2013.

Figure1:GrossagriculturalproductsintheAkhuryanRiverbasininbillionAMD.(Datasource:NationalStatisticalServiceofArmenia,2014;AnnualReportoftheShirakMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheShirakMarzin2013,2014)In 2013 the agricultural lands in the Metsamor River basin comprised approximately 226,900hectares,including47%ofpastures,24%arablelands,10.5%grasslands,5.6%perennialplants,and12.9%formiscellaneoususe.Table3:CropgrossproductionintheMetsamorRiverbasin

Crop Cultivatedland,ha Grossharvest,thousandton2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013

Cereals 16,978 17,266 17,611 38.7 49.6 56.4Potatoes 1,684 1,832 1,996 51.1 51.9 65.2Vegetables 6,121 6,208 6,456 252.7 261.9 265.6Fruits 2,296 2,298 2,496 97.9 99.3 112.4Grapes 4,846 5,017 5,265 68.7 73.6 79.1Fodder 8,997 9,181 9,326 171.1 178.8 181.3

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceof theRepublicofArmenia,2014;AnalyticalInformationCenterof theEconomicReforms,AchievementsofAragatsotnMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012;andAchievementsofArmavirMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012.Production of vegetables in the green houses has been gradually increasing in the river basin,particularlyintheArmavirregion.Varioustypesofvegetablesandstrawberryaregrownunderglassandpolyethylenecoversonabout1,000hectaresoftheland,whichenablestoprovidethenationalpopulationwithfreshvegetablesalmostallovertheyear.

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Arablelandswithcerealshavereducedoverlast10yearsintheagriculturalsectoroftheriverbasin,particularly in lover reaches of theMetsamor River, and areas for vineyards and orchards haveexpandedinstead.Agriculturallands intheMetsamorRiverbasinareservedbyAknalich,Masis,Khoy,Parpi,Amberd,Shahumian,Armavir,SevjurAkhtamar,Merdzpanya,Araks,Mush,KarakertandShenikWUAs.ThetotalserviceareaoftheWUAsisabout41,225ha.Theirrigationinfrastructureconsistsofabout31pumpstations,networkof23irrigationcanals,includingmain,secondaryandtertiarycanals,whichprovidewaterfromriversandreservoirsforirrigationoftheagriculturallandsoftheMetsamorRiverbasin.AsofJanuary2014thepermittedannualwaterusefor irrigationpurposes intheriverbasincomprised120,099.5 thousandm3,which isabout47%of the totalpermittedwateruse. Due topoorconditionoftheirrigationinfrastructure,waterlossesinthenetworkcurrentlycompriseabout50%.Approximately 18,000haof the irrigated landsof agricultural significance in theMetsamorRiverbasinarecurrentlynotcultivated,mainlydue toa lackof irrigationwaterandabsenceof tertiaryirrigation networks, double salinization of lands, as well as low solvency of individual ruralcommunities,andhighratesofemigration.GeographicalpositionandnaturalclimaticconditionsintheMetsamorRiverbasinarefavorableforcattlebreeding.Dataonlivestockproductionintheriverbasinispresentedbelow.Table4:NumberoflivestockintheMetsamorRiverbasin

Cattle Pigs Sheepandgoats Poultry2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 201380.7 81.6 82.4 20.9 21.7 22.2 100.6 102.8 104.1 284.0 298.5 320.0

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceof theRepublicofArmenia,2014;AnalyticalInformationCenterof theEconomicReforms,AchievementsofAragatsotnMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012;andAchievementsofArmavirMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012.In2013thegrossagriculturalproductintheMetsamorRiverbasinamountedtoAMD154.4billion.

Figure2:GrossagriculturalproductintheMetsamorRiverbasininbillionAMD.(Datasource:NationalStatisticalServiceofArmenia,2014;AnnualReportoftheAragatsotnMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheMarzin2013,2014;AnnualReportoftheArmavirMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheMarzin2013,2014)

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2.2. Fish farming Traditionally, fishbreeding intheAkhuryanRiverbasinhasbeentakingplace intheLakeArpiandAkhuryanreservoirs.AsofJanuary2014,therewere4fishfarmsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,withannual 15,273.3 thousandm3 permittedwater use, and 14,398.4 permitted return flows. Thesefarms are smallscale and occupy 78 ha of land. These fish farms mostly abstract water fromgroundwatersources,whichareofhighquality.Fish farming does not play an essential role in the economy of the Akhuryan river basin, andpermittedwaterabstractionforthispurposeconstitutesonly0.7%ofthetotalwaterabstraction.Duringthe last67yearsfishfarminghas increasedsignificantly inthe lowerreachesofMetsamorRiverbasin,particularly intheArmavirMarz,contributingsignificantlytotheeconomyoftheriverbasin.AsofJanuary2014,therewereabout142fishfarmsregisteredintheMetsamorRiverbasin,including 92 operational. The permitted water use by these farms via 176 groundwater wellscomprised49,915.5 thousandm3annually,which isabout19.5%of totalwaterabstraction in theriverbasin.Theannualpermittedreturnflowsfromthefishfarmscomprise46,286.9thousandm3.These farms,with total surfaceofabout956ha,occupywater lands,agriculturaland communitylands, etc.of the river basin. Fish farms abstractwater from groundwater aquifers of theAraratValleyofArmenia (coveringArmavirandAraratMarzesofArmenia)and return flows into surfacewaters(MetsamorandAraksrivers).Carp,silvercarp,catfish,kramulya(Varicorhinuscapoeta),trout,sturgeonarebeingproducedinthefishfarms.Grossfishproductionamountedtoabout2,500tonsin2013intheAkhuryanBMA,withtroutandsturgeonspeciescomprising6570%ofthegrossproduction.Partoftheproductionisusedforlocalconsumption,andtherestisimportedtoforeignmarkets,suchasRussia,Ukraine,Georgia,US,Arabiccountries,etc.2.3. Hydropower Constructionofsmallcapacityhydropowerplants(HPPs)bothinAkhuryanBMAandinArmeniaasawholeisconsideredtobeaprincipalstepinrenewableenergydevelopment.Currentlythereare8smallHPPsoperating inAkhuryanriverbasin,withtotal installedcapacityof17,240kWand4smallHPPsinMetsamorriverbasin,withtotalcapacityof9,940kW(Table5).Table5:CharacteristicsofsmallHPPsoperatingintheAkhuryanBasinManagementArea

Nameofthesmall

HPPRiverBasin

CapacitykW

Flow,m3/sec Watersource

Ecologicalflow

maintainedFishpasses

existGyumri Akhuryan 5,280 6.4 ShirakCanal No NoTalin Metsamor 5,140 5.6 TalinIrrigationCanal N/A N/AJradzor Akhuryan 3,900 5.0 AkhuryanCanal No NoParos Akhuryan 2,380 9.2 AkhuryanRiver No YesMarmashen Akhuryan 2,150 16.0 AkhuryanRiver Yes YesArmavir Metsamor 2,040 22.0 Armavirmaincanal N/A N/AVardan Metsamor 1,710 5.0 TalinIrrigationCanal, N/A N/A

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Nameofthesmall

HPPRiverBasin

CapacitykW

Flow,m3/sec Watersource

Ecologicalflow

maintainedFishpasses

exist2ndstage

Amasia Akhuryan 1,600 AkhuryanRiver No YesYeghnajur Akhuryan 1,230 YeghnajurRiver Yes YesVardanants Metsamor 1,050 4.0

ShenikVanandchuteofTalinIrrigationCanal,2ndstage

N/A N/A

Artik1 Akhuryan 380 0.25 MantashArtikdrinkingwaterpipeline N/A N/AMayisyan Akhuryan 320 0.5 ZuigaghbyurGyumridrinkingwaterpipeline N/A N/A

Source:PublicServicesRegulatoryCommission,2013;AkhuryanBasinManagementOrganization,WRMA,2014TheGyumriHPPisthemostpowerfulsmallhydropowerplantinthebasin,withacapacityof5,280andcalculatedflowof6.4m3/sec.TheArmavirHPPisthemostpowerfulsmallhydropowerplantonArmavirmaincanal,withcapacityof2,040kWandcalculatedflowof22.0m3/sec.Wateruse fromhydropowerplantsofAkhuryan riverbasin to MarmashenandParosHPPs iscarriedoutthroughderivationalpipes,andtherestareinstalledrightonthesourcedrinkingwaterpipelineandcanal.HydropowerplantsoftheMetsamorriverbasinareinstalledoncanals.Ingeneral theHPPsof theAkhuryanBMAareof smallcapacities.However, theyexert significantpressure onwater resources in terms of failure tomaintain ecological flow in some sections ofAkhuryanRiver.At present, there are 3 other smallHPPs are being constructed in theAkhuryan BMA (Table 6).Figure3belowpresentsthespatiallocalizationofthesmallHPPsinAkhuryanBMA.Table6:CharacteristicsofsmallHPPsinconstructionintheAkhuryanBasinManagementAreas

NameofthesmallHPP

RiverBasin

Capacity,kW

Flow,m3/sec Watersource

Ecologicalflow

maintainedFishpasses

existCascade Akhuryan 4,270 9.54 AkhuryanRiver No YesShenik Metsamor 550 TalinIrrigationCanal,2ndstage N/A N/ABaghramyan Metsamor 440 TalinIrrigationCanal N/A N/A

Source:PublicServicesRegulatoryCommission,2013,AkhuryanBasinManagementOrganization,WRMA,2014

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Figure 3: Small Hydropower Plants in Akhuryan BMA as of January, 2014 (Data source: Water ResourcesManagementAgencyoftheMinistryofNatureProtectionofArmenia,2014)

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2.4. Water abstraction and services Wateruse inAkhuryanBMA iscarriedout fordrinkinghousehold, irrigation, industrial,hydropowergeneration and fisheries. As of January 1, 2014,water abstraction in Akhuryan BMA amounts to2,420,326.5 thousand m3, according to the water use permits. Surface water abstraction, whichamountedto2,223,564.9thousandm3,constitutedtheprevalentpartoftotalwaterabstraction,andthegroundwaterusewas196,761.6thousandm3.Thebreakdownofthewaterusevolumesbywaterusepurposeispresentedinthechartbelow:

Figure4:WaterabstractioninAkhuryanBMA(inthousandm3),asofJanuary,2014,accordingtowaterusepermits(datasource:WaterResourcesManagementAgencyoftheMinistryofNatureProtectionofArmenia,2014)Currently 61 water abstraction points operate in Akhuryan River basin, 35 of which are fromgroundwater and 26 from surfacewater resources. Predominantly the groundwater isused fordrinking/domesticpurposes.Asof January2014,waterabstraction intheriverbasinamounted to2,163,932.5thousandm3,2,098,125.4thousandm3ofwhichwassurface,and65,807.2thousandm3groundwater. A largerpartofwaterabstraction iscarriedout for irrigationpurposes 1,664,527.5 thousandm3(76.9% of the totalwater abstraction), and the least part by industrial (271.6 thousandm3 orapproximately 0.01% of the total water abstraction) and fishfarming (15273.3 thousand m3 orapproximately 0.7% of the total water abstraction) sectors. The water abstraction fordrinking/householdpurposescomprises2.3%and20%forhydropowergeneration.ThewaterdischargetoAkhuryanRiverbasinamountsto454,204.0thousandm3.Thiswatercomesmainlyfromhydropowerplantsandfisheries. Groundwateruse iscarriedout through springsandwells.Springsarecentralized in thenorthernoutskirtsofVerinAkhuryanconcave.Zuigaghbyur,AshotskandGhazanchispringsarecapturedandtheyserve thesupplyofdrinkingwater toGyumriand itsadjacentsettlements,with total flowof1.7m3/sec. In thiscase, thewater flowofAshotskRiver reducesproportionally (by1.7m3/sec). In

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these concaves, particularly Ashotsk concave,water is also abstracted by thewells. Totalwaterabstractionfrom13wellsinAshotskconcavemakes350l/sec.Thiswater,togetherwithZuigaghbyurwaterpipeline,isusedtosupplydrinkingwatertoGyumricityand itsadjacentsettlements.Allthewells are fountaining. Essentially, by default the waters of groundwater aquifers have beendischarging into the rivers. Therefore, the actualwater flow of Ashotsk River has decreased by1.7+0.35=2.05m3/sec,ratherthanby1.7m3/sec.There are also significant volumes of water used for drinking water supply in Gyumri concave.Currently water is pumped from 15 wells. Water abstraction is carried out by individualcommunities,withoutmeasuringwaterquantity. If in thementionedwaterabstractionconditionsthe groundwater tablewas in the range of 730m depth, presently, in the absence of regularobservations,itisdifficulttopredicttheirdepth.Currently 118 water abstraction points exist in Metsamor River basin, 103 of which are fromgroundwater and 15 from surface water resources. The number of groundwater use permitsexceedsthenumberofsurfacewaterusebyapproximately5times.ThereasonisthatfishfarminghasrecentlydevelopedinMetsamorRiverbasin,andgroundwaterextractedfromdeepaquifersofAraratValleyismainlyusedforfisheryandirrigationpurposes.As of January 2014, total water consumption in Metsamor River basin amounted to 256,393.9thousandm3.Mostofthewaterisusedforirrigationpurposes,whichmakesalmost47%ofthetotal.Waterconsumption for fishfarmingconstitutesaround20%of the total, forhydropower almost10%,forindustrial12%,anddrinking/household11%.Groundwater in Metsamor River basin is used for drinking, fishery and irrigation purposes. Aconsiderablepartofwaterabstractioniscarriedoutforfishfarming(morethan13m3/sec).Thereisnocalculationconductedfortheactualquantitiesofwaterabstraction.Duetothelargevolumeofwaterabstraction, the levelofconfinedaquifers is intensively reducing (annually0.150.35mandmore).Asaresult,decreasesingroundwatertablehavedirectimpactonenvironmentofthewaterabstractionareas.Figure4showsacomparativeanalysisofwateruseinAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins.Figure5demonstratesspatialdistributionofthewaterabstractionpointsinAkhuryanBMA.

Figure5:WaterabstractioninAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins(inthousandm3),asofJanuary,2014,according

towaterusepermits(datasource:WaterResourcesManagementAgency,MNP,2014)

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Figure6:WaterabstractionpointsinAkhuryanBMA,asof01.01.2014,accordingtowaterusepermits

(Datasource:WaterResourcesManagementAgency,MinistryofNatureProtectionofArmenia,2014)

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2.4.1.WaterabstractionforcommunalpurposesAsofJanuary2014,annually79.2 millionm3ofwaterwasusedforcommunalpurposesinAkhuryanBMA,accordingtototallyissued47permits.WatersupplyforcommunalpurposesiscarriedoutbyShirak Water Supply and Sewerage CJSC, Nor Akunk CJSC, Armenian Water Supply andSewerageCJSC,aswellasbyselfservicecommunities(Figure7).

Figure7:ServiceareaofdrinkingwatersupplycompaniesinAkhuryanBMA(Datasource:GeoinfoLLC,2013)

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AsofJanuary2014,annually50.6millionm3ofwaterwasusedforcommunalpurposesinAkhuryanRiverbasin(amountsto2.3%ofthetotalwaterabstractionintheriverbasin)and28.6millionm3inMetsamorRiverbasin(11.2%ofthetotalwaterabstractionintheriverbasin).InAkhuryanRiverbasinthewatersupplyiscarriedoutbyArmenianWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSC,ShirakWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSCandlocalselfgovernmentauthorities.Watersupplyof37 communities inGyumri city,Akhuryan,Ani,Amasia regions is carriedoutby ShirakWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSC from Ghazanchi,Zuigaghbyur, Krasar,KrunkSpringandVardBaghwatersprings,totalproductioncapacityofwhichmakes1,482l/secbygravitymethod.WatersupplyofArtikandAshotskcommunities iscarriedoutbyArmenianWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSCfromMantashgravitysystemandAshotskwatersprings.Water supply is carried out bywater transmission pipelines, extending for 229.2 km,which aremainlyconstructed incomplex landscapeconditionsandpassthroughhardrock layersandmarshygrounds,aswellasbymainwaterpipelines,whichhaveatotal lengthof250.8km.ShirakWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSCoperates10dailyregulatoryreservoirs(DRR)and5chlorinationplants.The company provides service to internal distribution networks of communities,which have anapproximatelengthof660700km.ArmenianWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSCoperatesinternaldistributionnetworksofArtikandAshotsk communities,approximate lengthofwhichmakes150km.Mainly 3 urban communities (Gyumri, Artik and Maralik) from river basin communities receivedrinkingwater from centralizedwater supply systems,wherewater isdecontaminatedunder thedefined procedure. Water supply and sewerage systems in other settlements, rural areas inparticular,are inverypoorandwornoutcondition,whichcreatesseriousproblems fordeliveringappropriatequalityofwatertothepopulation.

InMetsamorRiverbasinthewatersupplyiscarriedoutbyArmenianWaterSupplyandSewerageCJSC, Nor Akunk CJSC and local selfgovernment authorities. These organizations supplywaterfromChlkannerandAragatssprings,andwaterspringsofTaronikandShorShorpumpingstation,mainlywithtotalcapacityof1,235l/sec.Three cities and over 50 communities in the river basin receive drinkingwater from centralizedwatersupplysystems,wherewateristreated.Intheremainingsettlementsthewatersupplyistheresponsibilityofthelocalgovernmentauthorities.Themajorityofhouseholdsinsomeruralcommunitiesoftheriverbasinusecommonfaucets.WaterforArgina,Shenik,Karakert,MiasnikyanandKoghbavancommunitiesissuppliedbytankers.Waterabstracted from deepwellsofArevadasht andHushakert communities isused for irrigation, anddrinkingwaterisreceivedfromwellsofSardarapatvillage.2.4.2.WaterabstractionforirrigationMost of the water in Akhuryan BMA is used for irrigation. As of January 2014, annual waterabstractionforirrigationpurposeswas1,664,527.5thousandm3inAkhuryanRiverbasin,whichwasamounted to77%of the totalwater abstraction, and120,099.5 thousandm3 inMetsamorRiverbasin(about47%ofthetotalwaterabstraction).

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In Akhuryan River basin the irrigationwater is supplied by the by Aygabats, Shir, Ajapnyak andAragatsWaterUserAssociations(WUA),whileinMetsamorRiverbasinbyAknalich,Masis,Khoy,Parpi,Amberd,Shahumian,Armavir,SevjurAkhtamar,Merdzapnia,Araks,Mush,Talin,KarakertandShenikWUAs(refertoFigure8below).

Figure8:ServiceareaofWaterUserAssociationsinAkhuryanBMA(Datasource:StateWaterCadastre,2013)InAkhuryan riverbasin the irrigation iscarriedout through the following19bigandsmallcanals,totalirrigatedareaofwhichmakesabout28,600hectares.Table7:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameofthecanal Sourceoffeeding Length,kmTransmissibility,

m3/secIrrigationarea,ha

Shirakcanal Akhuryanriver 21.3 6.6 9,817Voskehaskpump,canal Akhuryanriver 6.1 0.6 590AkhurikYerazgavorscanal Pumpingstation 48 08 270

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Nameofthecanal Sourceoffeeding Length,kmTransmissibility,

m3/secIrrigationarea,ha

Aygebatscanal Karnutreservoir 21.7 3.6 2,668Akhuryancanal Canal 26.6 0.11.12 2,826Karangiriverwingcanal Karanguriver 0.8 0.3 123Bayandurpumpingstationcanal Akhuryanriver 2.3 0.2 91Akhuryanrightbankcanal Akhuryanriver 30.18 5 4,230Maralikwaterpipeline Sarnaghbyurreservoir 3.5 0.9 775JrapAghinwaterpipeline Akhuryanreservoir 2.52 0.4 449IrapiHaykadzor Akhuryanreservoir 1.62 0.5 315Kapsreservoirsystem Kapsreservoir 760Akhuryanrightbankcanal Akhuryanriver 4.4 0.7 755Tavshutirrigationcanal Tavshutreservoir 1.5 5.1 331Khothundzimechanicalirrigation Akhuryanriver 0.8 0.6 1,298Karnutwatersupply/irrigationsystem Karnutreservoir 15.5 0.8 445LeftbankcanaloftheKaranguRiver Karanguriver 2.9 1.5 1,144RightbankcanaloftheKaranguRiver Karanguriver 17.4 2 1,193Horomcanal Karnutreservoir 9.2 0.8 631

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014The largestcanals intheriverbasin includeShirakCanal,withan irrigationareaof9,817hectares,AkhuryanRiver rightbankcanal4,230hectares,AygabatsCanal2,668hectares,andAkhuryanCanal2,826hectares.Thereare28pumpingstationsinAkhuryanRiverbasin,eventhoughnotallofthemareoperational.ThelargestonesareArtik,PokrSepasar,AnitwolevelandTavshutpumpingstations.Totalirrigationareaofthepumpingstationsisapproximately8,500hectares(Table11).Table8:CharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameofthepumpingstation Sourceoffeeding Pressure,mProductivity,

m3/secIrrigationarea,

hectaresArtik Karnutreservoir 100 2 1,743Voskehask Akhuryanriver 210 0.55 590Akhuryan Akhuryanriver 90 0.36 67Akhurikonelevelandtwolevel Akhuryanriver 50 0.66 185Akhurikthreelevel Akhuryanriver 65 0.38 323Akhurikfourlevel Akhuryanriver 50 0.16 80Akhurikfivelevel Akhuryanriver 50 0.08 85Beniaminonelevel Karnutreservoir 36 0.13 3Beniamintwolevel Karnutreservoir 120 0.59 396Bayanduronelevel Akhuryanriver 90 0.57 91Bayandurtwolevel Akhuryanriver 75 0.23 100Aygabatsonelevel Karnutreservoir 120 0.32 257Aygabatstwolevel Karnutreservoir 90 0.54 250Mayisian Shirakcanal 120 0.26 160Gharibjanian Akhuryanriver 120 0.64 247Sarnaghbyur Sarnaghbyurreservoir 210 0.32 130Kharkov Akhuryanriver 210 0.16Torosvillage Akhuryanreservoir 210 0.44 755PokrSepasar Fromsprings 240 0.73 1,238Tavshut Tavshutreservoir 175 0.78 331Horom Horomreservoir 264 0.02Hayreniats Karnutreservoir 70 0.30 197

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014

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InMetsamorRiverbasinIrrigationiscarriedoutthrough23largeandsmallcanalsintheriverbasin,thetotalirrigationareaisapproximately41,225hectares(Table9).Table9:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofMetsamorRiverbasin

Nameofthecanal Sourceoffeeding Length,km Transmissibility,m3/sec Irrigationarea,haArmavircanal Arasriver 43.65 3550 19,538Zartonkpumpingstationcanal Metsamorriver 11.86 5 2,871Metsamorpumpingstationcanal Metsamorriver 17.9 3 10.1Talincanalonelevel Talincanal 11.2 11 4,865Talincanaltwolevel Talincanal 27 8 4,970Yervandashatcanal Akhuryanriver 10.7 2 384ArmavirN1,N2pumpingstationcanal Armavircanal 13 0.31.6 1,432UpperwaterwayofAknalichpumpingstation LakeMetsamor 10.4 2 999LowerwaterwayofAknalichpumpingstation LakeMetsamor 11.5 2 1,325Haykashencanal Metsamor left bank

canal10 6 1,227

Jraratcanal Metsamorriver 19.4 5 1,440Metsamorleftbankcanal Metsamorriver 16.8 11.2 226Metsamorpumpingstationcanal Metsamorriver 0.6 0.35 390SisAraksN1,N2pumpingstationcanal Metsamorriver 0.9 0.25 130Metsamorpumpingstationcanal Metsamorriver 0.6 0.35 350Talincanal Akhuryanriver 23.4 27.5 8Karmrashencanal Karmrashenriver 2.5 2.5 64SariArucanal Chilkansprings 13.9 2.5 277Mastaracanal Chilkansprings 28.0 1.5 165KatnaghbyurAshnakcanal Vosketassprings 26.0 3.5 159Agarakcanal Vosketassprings 12.9 1.5 70Bazmaberdcanal Vosketassprings 10.0 3.0 207Hatsashencanal MastaraJurriver 3.5 2.5 118

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014Armavir Canal is the largest canal inMetsamor River basin,which amounts to 50m3/sec., andirrigationareaaccountsforalmosthalfofthetotalirrigationarea19,538hectares.ThenextlargecanalsincludeTalin1stCanal4,865hectares,Talin2ndCanal4,970hectares,AknalichCanal1,325hectares,HaykashenCanal1,220hectares,andJraratCanal1440hectares.The total area of irrigation through the pumping stations ofMetsamor River basin is approximately34,680hectares.Ranchpar,Arevshat,ZartonkandAknalicharethelargestpumpingstationsintheriverbasin(Table10).Table10:CharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsofMetsamorRiverbasinNameofthepumpingstation Sourceoffeeding Pressure,m

Productivity,m3/sec

Irrigationarea,ha

Bazmaberd 600 0.16 130Dashtadem Akhuryanreservoir 310 1.53 852Zartonk Metsamorriver 27 5.05 2,875Metsamor 52 3.04 350Hoktemberian Arasriver 52 1.66 914Hushakert Armavircanal 90 0.58 163Mayisian Metsamorpumping 40 0.56 300Armavir Armavircanal 14 0.7 100Araks1 40 0.17 104Araks2 65 0.7 25Hatsik 20 0.08 60Vardanashen Fromthelakes 36 0.28 70NorKesaria1 Armavircanal 65 0.7 150

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Nameofthepumpingstation Sourceoffeeding Pressure,mProductivity,

m3/secIrrigationarea,ha

NorKesaria2 28 0.22 76Arevik Drainagewaters 40 0.84 DrainageArtashar Armavircanal 13.5 0.66 DrainageHushakert 40 1.12 737Talin1 Talincanal 100 2.2 859Yervandashat Arasriver 55 0.08 20Bagaran Bagarancanal 55 0.02 15Hushakert1 Armavircanal 30 0.16 40Aknalich LakeMetsamor 65 4.55 2,210Arevshat1st LakeMetsamor 80 12.25 3,637Arevshat2nd Pumping 95 3.3 9,259Araks1 Metsamorriver 14 1.05 70Araks2 Metsamorriver 14 0.7 60Ranchpar1st Catchmentdrainagewaters 80 1.75 9,419Metsamor Metsamorriver 21 0.55 232Lernamerdz Deepwells 85 0.04 75Aknalich2 LakeMetsamor 30 0.08 80Aknalich3 LakeMetsamor 21 1.35 Offset

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,20142.4.3.IndustrialwaterabstractionWaterabstraction for industrialpurposes inAkhuryanandMetsamorriverbasins ismainlycarriedoutinthefieldsoffoodindustry,lightindustryandminingindustry.AsofJanuary2014,theannualwaterusefor industrialpurposesamountsto271.6thousandm3 inAkhuryanRiverbasin,which is0.7%ofthetotalwaterabstractionand32,768.8thousandm3inMetsamorRiverbasin(12.8%ofthetotalwaterwithdrawal).

2.4.4.WaterabstractionforhydropowergenerationAsof January2014, theannualwaterabstraction forhydropowergenerationpurposeamounts to433,275.2 thousand m3 in Akhuryan River basin, which accounts for 20% of the total waterabstraction and to 24,970 thousandm3 inMetsamor River basin (about 10% of the totalwaterabstraction).Currentlythereare8smallHPPsoperatinginAkhuryanriverbasin,withtotalinstalledcapacityof17,240kWand4smallHPPsinMetsamorriverbasin,withtotalcapacityof9,940kW2.4.5.WaterabstractionforfishfarmingAsof January2014,theannualwateruse for fisherypurposes inAkhuryanBMAexceeds65,188.8 thousandm3,outofwhich15,273.3thousandm3 inAkhuryanRiverbasinand49,915.5thousandm3 inMetsamorRiverbasin.Vastmajorityofoverhundred fisherieswithdrawwater fromgroundwaterbasinofAraratValley.Large quantity of returnwaters used from groundwater reserves of Ararat Valley flow into theMetsamorandArasRiversbysurfaceflowandthenleavethecountry.

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2.4.6.CommunalwastewaterInAkhuryanBMA sewageand communalwastewaters from the settlementsaredirectly releasedintotheenvironment,sincetherearenonoperationaltreatmentplants,andsewageand industrialwaterpipelinenetworksareobsolete:7080%areoutoforder.2.5. Industry FigurebelowshowsthemainindustrialenterprisesoftheAkhuryanBMA.

Figure9:LocationofmainindustrialenterprisesinAkhuryanBMA(Datasource:StateWaterCadastre,2014)

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Currentlythereareapproximately110actingindustrialenterprisesinAkhuryanRiverbasin,90%ofwhicharemediumandsmallcompanies.Asof2013,76oftheeconomicoperators issuingproductare companiesbelonging to thebranchofmanufacturing industry.Manufacturing industry is themainbranchofindustry,88%ofwhichgoestofoodindustry.Table11:StructureoftheindustrialproductofAkhuryanRiverbasinbybranchesofindustry,%

Branchesofindustry Volumeofproduct,%Power,gas,steamandgoodqualityairsupply 10.7Miningindustryandoperationofopenmines 0.3Processingindustry 88.4Watersupply,sewerage,wastemanagementandprocessing 0.6

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013About86%of industrialenterprises inAkhuryanRiverbasinarecentralized inGyumri,majorityofwhicharefoodproductionand light industry.Relatively largeenterprises intheriverbasin includeLenteks, Igit, Shirak beer,Artik Steklomash, TufablokneriGortsaran,Maralik Nayteks,ArtikArtikTuffandothercompanies.ExtractionofmineralsintheriverbasinismainlycentralizedinArtikandPemzashen,where tuffandpumiceareextracted.Operationof thesugar factorywaslaunchedinAkhuryanregion,withadailycapacityof500tons.Table12:RelativelylargeenterprisesinAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameoftheenterprise Region FieldofactivityAnalitsark1OJSC Akhuryan Electrical,electronicandopticalequipmentArshaluisOJSC Akhuryan Textileindustry(hosiery)ArmenKarpetGyumriBranch Akhuryan Textileindustry(carpets)GyumriMaltBeerShirakCJSC Akhuryan FoodanddrinkproductionLenteksCJSC Akhuryan TextileindustrySteklomashOJSC Artik ProductionofmachineryandequipmentArtikTuffCJSC Artik ExtractionofmineralsVardatuffLLC Artik ExtractionofmineralsShinanyutOJSC Akhuryan ExtractionofmineralsAnipemzaOJSC Ani ProductionofothernonmetallicmineralresourcesAshotskiPanragortsaranOJSC Ashotsk FoodproductionAmasiayiPanragortsaranOJSC Amasia Foodproduction

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013ConstructionplaysanessentialroleintheindustryofAkhuryanRiverbasin.Duringthelastfiveyears30billionArmeniandramswerespent intheconstructionsector.Thekeyexpenseswere incurredforhousingconstructioninGyumriandothersettlements.Table13:ProductionandsaleoftheindustrialproductsofAkhuryanRiverbasin,bytypesofeconomicactivity

Economicindicators Volumeoftheproducedproduct(expressedincurrentprices),

millionAMDVolumeofthesold

product,millionAMD

Volumeoftheindustrialproduct,including: 42,750 42,580Power,gas,steamandgoodqualityairsupply 4,932 4,696Miningindustryandoperationofopenpits 124.3 120.5Manufacturingindustry 40,406 38,575Watersupply,sewerage,wastemanagementandprocessing

287.5 281.3

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2012;AnalyticalInformationCenteroftheEconomicReforms,AchievementsofShirakMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012The return flows from the light industryaredischarged into sewage systemofGyumri.However,there isnodataavailableon locationofdischarging the return flows from thenewlyoperational

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Akhuryan sugar factory. Considering the dissemination of ground waters in the entire Gyumriconcaveandhigh filtration rateofwaterbearing rocks (up to24m/dayandmore), the industrialflows of thementioned factory,without primary treatment,may become a potential source ofpollutionforgroundwaterandsoils.Industry isoneof themost important sectorsof theeconomy in theMetsamorRiverbasin. It iscurrentlyspecialized inproductionofenergy, jewelry,productionoffood,refreshingbeverageandalcoholicdrinks,aswellasoperationofdepositsofnonmetallicmineralresources (tuff,andesitebasalt,perlitesandandscoriaquarries).Manufacturingindustry,thevolumeofwhichisincreasingyearbyyear,hasasignificantroleintheriverbasinindustry;currentlyitconstitutes84%ofthetotalindustry.Table14:StructureoftheindustrialproductofMetsamorRiverbasinbybranchesofindustry,%

Branchesofindustry Volumeofproduct,%Power,gas,steamandgoodqualityairsupply 12Miningindustryandoperationofopenmines 3Manufacturingindustry 84Watersupply,sewerage,wastemanagementandprocessing 1

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013Manufacturingindustryhasincreasedattheexpenseoffoodstuff,includingproductionofdrinksandprocessingofnonmetallicmineral resources.Currently there arebusinessesmanufacturing smallandmediumagriculturalproductsintheriverbasin,andthelargestofthemareArmavirMapandSardarapatcompanies.There are plenty of reserves of construction materials in the river basin. Minerals are mainlypresentedbytuffs,andesitesbasalt,perlitesandsandscoria.Mines intheriverbasinareoperatedby 93 organizations, 50 ofwhich are currently operational.Only in 420 hectares of lands in 17communitiesofArmavirregionthereare21landusersextractingmineralsfromdeposits.Table15:ProductionandsaleoftheindustrialproductsofMetsamorRiverbasin,bytypesofeconomicactivity

Economicindicators Volumeoftheproducedproduct(expressedincurrentprices),million

AMDVolumeofthesold

product,millionAMD

Volumeoftheindustrialproduct,including: 39,015 40,333Power,gas,steamandgoodqualityairsupply

4,682 4,911

Miningindustryandoperationofopenmines

1,125 1,558

Manufacturingindustry 32,773 33,467Watersupply,sewerage,wastemanagementandprocessing

435 397

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2012;RepublicofArmeniaAragatsotnMarzpetaran,SocioEconomicDevelopmentPlanof theRepublicofArmeniaAragatsotnMarz for20112014,2011;RepublicofArmeniaArmavirMarzpetaran,SocioEconomicDevelopmentPlanoftheRepublicofArmeniaArmavirMarzfor20112014,2011ArmavirMachinetool Construction Factory produces gold pieces (up to 9 kg each), through itsunique ultrahigh precision pressure oven. It also produces iron balls for Armenian CopperProgram,AkhtalaOreMiningPlant,DrmbonGoldFactoryandothercompanies.

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Table16:RelativelylargeenterprisesinMetsamorRiverbasinNameoftheenterprise Region Fieldofactivity

ArmavirMAPCJSC Armavir CanandfoodproductionLevonLLC Armavir CanandfoodproductionBiokatPlusLLC Talin FoodstuffanddairyproductionArmavirFarmerCJSC Armavir FisheryArmeniaVineCJSC Talin ProductionofdrinksGoldenGrapeArmasOJSC Armavir ProcessingofagriculturalproductsArmavirMachineToolConstructionFactory Armavir MachinerypartsSardarapatCJSC Baghramyan CanandfoodproductionArmavirBranchofYerevanBrandyFactoryCJSC

Armavir ProductionofdrinksSource:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013TheMetsamorNuclearPowerPlant,thecapacityofwhichis430MW,islocatedontheterritoryofthe river basin. The nuclear power plant abstracts water from the Metsamor River to cool itsgeneratorsabout2m3/sec.TheMetsamorNuclearPowerPlant,whichissituated4kmnorthfromthe Metsamor River source. This may have the greatest possible impact on the environment.ConsideringthatthetermofoperationofMetsamorNPPblockhasexpired,fromenvironmentalandsafety perspective, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and EU countries recommendsuspendingactivitiesoftheoldblockandconstructinganewone.Duetoinabilitytoattractsufficientfinancialresources,theconstructionofthenewnuclearenergyblockwithinstalledcapacityof1060MWwaspostponeduntil2026. 2.6 Tourism TourismisinsufficientlydevelopedinAkhuryanBMA.AkhuryanRiverbasinisrichinmineralwater,picturesque sites of mountainous rivers and small lakes, as well as numerous historical andarchitecturalmonumentsandobelisks,includingMarmashenmedievalmonastery,Harichmonasterycomplex,whichhavegreatrecreationandtourismdevelopmentpotential.However,atpresentthispotentialisnotadequatelyused.MetsamorRiverbasinisauniquemuseum,wherehistoricalmonumentscharacteristictoalmostallperiods of the Armenian history, or their testimonies are preserved. Urartian castles (Hnaberd,Tsaghkahovit),andShenik(57thcentury),Mastara(6thcentury),Garnahovit(67thcentury)churchesare well preserved. Metsamor archaeological museum, Armenia state ethnographic museum inSardarapat, the biggest groundwater flow in Armenia, Ayghrlich, old pagan center Bagaran,Sardarapatmemorialarealsothere.ThereareruinsofcastlesandspiritualmonumentsinTalin.On the left side of YerevanArmavir highway, between Aknalich and Taronik villages,Metsamorfortressislocated.ThereareruinsofprimevalfortressesandmausoleumsinthevicinityofAknalich,whichshowthatthisterritoryanditsadjacentsettlementshavebeenpopulatedsinceancienttimes.Providedthereisnecessarycareandinvestments,thelakemaybecomeanimportanttouristicsite.Fromallofthehistorical,culturalandnaturalvaluesmentionedabove,touristictraffic isobservedonly towards the Sardarapatmemorial. Considering the lack of adequate road networks, hotels,resortsandservices intheAkhuryanBMA,tourismhasnotdevelopedyet.ThatweaklydevelopedtourismsectordoesnotcausesignificantpressureonwaterresourcesoftheBMA.

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2.7. Solid waste landfills Issues related towastemanagement inAkhuryan BMA are a priority and urgent, due to lack ofsanitarymunicipalwaste landfills,compliantwith therequirementsofurbandevelopment, lackofseparate collection of industrial andmunicipalwastes, aswell as lack of actions aimed atwasteprevention, collection, transportation, storage, processing, recycling, reclamation, removal,decontaminationanddisposal.Gyumri,Artik,MaralikandAkhurikmunicipallandfillsinAkhuryanRiverbasinareinpoorcondition.The landfillofGyumri is located intheNorthwesternpartofthecity,AkhuryanRivervalley,whichhas approximately 40 hectares of territory and lacks a sanitary protection zone of 1,000 m.Registration of accumulation of industrial and municipal wastes is not carried out. Particularlyhazardouswastesarenotseparatedandtheyaredumped intothegeneral landfill.Therearealsoconsiderableconstructionwasteandmunicipalsolidwasteaccumulationsinvarioussectionsofthecity gorges,watercourses,etc.,whichsignificantly impacttheecologicalstatusofthecity.Duringrainfallsand snowmelts,wasteaccumulated in the cityarea iswashedwithwater,and the latterresultsininfiltrationofhazardouschemicalcompositionsintogroundwaterbasins.InMetsamorRiverbasin,aswell,industrialandconstructionwastesarepracticallyremovedtourbanandrurallandfills,togetherwithsolidmunicipalwastes.WasteremovalintheriverbasinisnotcarriedoutincompliancewiththeRALawOnWastes(adoptedin2004)andotherregulatorydocuments,which raisesprobabilityofnegative impact from solidwasteaccumulationsand landfillsonhumanhealth and natural environment, particularly on land and, through infiltration, onwater. Currentlygarbageandwasteremovalisnotfullycarriedoutintheriverbasin.Currently,afisheryisoperatingontheterritoryoftheformerwarehouseoftoxicchemicalsinJraratcommunity.However,therearehundredsofkilogramsoftoxicchemicalsintwopreservedbuildingsofthewarehouse.Apartofthesechemicalsisinsacks,someinbarrels,andtherestisscatteredallovertheterritoryofthewarehouse.Sacksarewornout,andtoxicchemicalsspreadouteasilyfromdestroyedbuildingstothefisheriesandtheenvironment,bywindandrainwater. In2011,aCzechcompanynamedArnikatooksamplesthereanddiscoveredthatDDTcontentexceeded50percentinsomesacks.Inoneoftheexaminedsacks1kgoftoxicchemicalscontained647gDDT.SacksalsocontainedDDTdissolvingsubstances,suchasmetabolites,DDTandothersubstances,whichallhavemajortoxicproperties.Inthesurroundingsofthewarehouse1kgofsoilcontained280mgDDT.Anareaof45thousandm2adjacenttoSasunikcommunityhasturnedintoalandfill,whichhasputthecommunityintopoorecologicalconditions.

Figure10:OpenburningofwasteinSasuniklandfill(Photoby:EPIRBproject,2012)

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Figure11:LocationofsolidwastelandfillsandmainfishfarmsinAkhuryanBMA(Datasource:GeoinfoLLC,2013)2.8. Transport ThetotallengthofroadsinAkhuryanBMAis1,620km(seethetableandmapbelowfordetails).Table17:RoadsofAkhuryanBMAbytheirsignificance

Area Totalroads,km

Interstateroads,km

Nationalroads,km

Communityroads,km

AkhuryanRiverbasin 830 114 433 283MetsamorRiverbasin 790 260 310 220TotalinAkhuryanBMA 1,620 374 743 503

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013

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Figure12:MaintransportnetworkofAkhuryanBMA(Datasource:GeoinfoLLC,2013)CargoandpassengertransportationinAkhuryanRiverbasiniscarriedoutbyroads,railwaysandair.Shirakairport inGyumri isoperating intheriverbasin,whichprovidesflightconnectionwithCIScountriesandiscapableofreceivinganytypeofairtransport.However, the main passenger and cargo transportation is carried out by roads. The interstateM1YerevanGyumriBavraroadpassesthroughtheterritoryoftheriverbasin.

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During the last years the community roads in the river basin were renovated. However, manyintercommunityroadsarestillinapoorcondition.PassengerandcargotransportationinMetsamorRiverbasinismainlycarriedoutbyroadtransport.M3 roadof state significance (borderof TurkeyMargaraArmavirVanadzorTashirstateborderofGeorgia)andM5roadof interstatesignificance(YerevanArmavir)passthroughtheterritoryoftheriverbasin.Roadsofinterstatesignificanceintheriverbasinarecurrentlyinarelativelysatisfactorycondition.Aconsiderablepartofroadsof localsignificance in theriverbasinhasnotbeenrenovated forages,duetolackoffinancialresources.Table18:PassengerandcargotransportationsinAkhuryanBMAin2011

Area Cargotransported,thousandtons

Cargocirculation,milliont/km

Traffic

Passengercirculation,millionpassenger/km

AkhuryanRiverbasin 445 24 470000 76MetsamorRiverbasin 390 35 510000 89TotalinAkhuryanBMA 835 59 980000 165

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,20132.9. Future infrastructure development

TwonewreservoirsareplannedtobeconstructedinAkhuryanBMA.SelavMastara reservoir will be located in the territory of Myasnikyan community of Armavirprovince,on SelavMastaraRiver. The reservoirwillhave 10.2millionm3overall storage volume(plannedheightofthedamis30m).ItwillcollectthefreeflowofSelavMastaraRiverinthesectionbetweenAkhuryanReservoirandtheheadstructureoftheTalinirrigationsystem.Theconstructionofthereservoirwillenabletoirrigate4384haofagriculturallandsoftheregion.Aspotentialfunder,Kuwait Foundation of Arabic Economic Development is planning to have appraisalmission. Theestimatedcostforconstructionofthereservoiris27mlnUSD.Another project is related to rehabilitation of the partially constructed Kaps reservoir.With thefundingof theGermanKfWBank, theselectedconsultant in2013started the feasibilitystudy forrehabilitationofKapsReservoirandconstructionofGravityIrrigationSystem.Intheinitialphaseitisanticipated to rehabilitate thedam at a low level,providing about6millionm3 capacity and thegravitysupplyof2,200haof irrigationcurrentlysuppliedbypumpsornonirrigated.Theprojectedvolumeofthereservoirafterrehabilitationis90mlnm3.Theestimatedcostforactivityis75.4mlnUSD.

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3.TYPESOFPRESSURES3.1. Point source pollution

3.1.1.Communalwastewaterdischarge,includingthewastewaterpitsThissectionprovidesassessmentofimpactofcommunalwastewatersinthebasinonthequalityofwaterresources.Herethesimplifiedmodelofpointsourcepollutionhasbeenapplied.Thiswasalsoused forassessmentof impactofcommunalwastewatersonthequalityofwaterresourcesoftheDebed River (Monitoring program proposal for pilotDebed River basin, in compliancewith theprinciplesof theWaterFrameworkDirective,2011)and theAghstevRiver (Monitoringprogramproposal forpilotAghstevRiverbasin, incompliancewith theprinciplesof theWaterFrameworkDirective,2011).TheimpactofsewagewaterwasconsideredasapointpressureinAkhuryanBMA,andtheassessmentoftheimpactwasconductedbasedonthenumberofpopulation,accordingtothe methodology described in the work of Novotny V., Water Quality, Diffuse Pollution andWatershedManagement, 2003. According to that study, a person daily produces the followingeffectsonthewater(Table22).Table19:ImpactofurbanwastewateraccordingtopopulationnumberBOD5 5060g/resident*dayCODfullorCOD(Bichromate) 90g/resident*daySuspendedparticles(SP) 90g/resident*dayPhosphorus 3g/resident*dayNitrogentotal 15.5gN/resident*dayAmmonium 10.3g/resident*day

Source:NovotnyV.,WaterQuality,DiffusePollutionandWatershedManagement,2003According to these values, the pressure from population of citieswas calculated, based on thenumberofpopulation.Subsequently,havingthevolumeofsewagewater,theconcentrations(mg/l)oftheabovementionedcomponentsinsewagewaterwerecalculated.Havingtheinflowrateoftheaforementioned components in sewagewater, aswell as the value ofminimum river flow, it ispossibletocalculatetheexpectedconcentrationofeachcomponentintheriverwater,byusingthesimplifiedmodel.Pollutantconcentration(C)inthelocationofthepointpressureinriverwaterwascalculatedbyusingthefollowingformula:

C=(Q0C0+Q1C1)/(Q0+Q1),whereQ0istheriverdischargebeforethesourcepressurepoint,C0isthepollutantconcentrationinthe samepointof the riverwater,Q1 is thevolumeofwastewatersdischarged in the locationofpressure,C1isthepollutantconcentrationinwastewaters.Following the same logic, the concentrationof pollutants penetrated into the river flow throughwaterdischargewascalculated,whichwereviewedasaquantityofpointpressure:

C=Q1C1/(Q0+Q1).Inordertoassessthepressureofcommunalwastewaterdischarge,anapproachtakingintoaccountthenumberofpopulationwasused.Weather is a variable included to calculate theBOD5 value.AccordingtotheWaterQualityGuidelinesMemorandum#1of1978,1mg/lofBOD5isconsideredasamaximumpermissibleamountinsummerlowwaterconditionsandanyexceedancesisviewedasasignificant pressure. Based on the wellknown standard, according to which the BOD5 loaddischargedbywastewatersiscalculatedtobeN*60g/day,whereNisthenumberofpopulation,the

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concentration (C) of thispollutantwas calculated at thepointofdischarge in riverwaterby thefollowingformula:

C=(60*N*1000)/(24*60*60)mg/l.

Gyumri, Artik and Maralik towns are viewed as potential sources of significant pressures inAkhuryanRiverbasin.Usingtheabovementionedmethod,theimpactofthesesourcesofpressurewasassessed.Theresultsofthisassessmentaresummarizedinthetableprovidedbelow:Table20:PressurefromsewagewaterofthetownsofAkhuryanRiverbasin

Settlement Population BOD5,mg/l Suspendedparticles,mg/l

Phosphorus,mg/l

Nitrogen,mg/l

Gyumri 121,976 24.2 36.2 1.2 6.2ArtikandMaralik 24,932 40.8 61.2 2.0 10.5

Total 253,994 47.7 71.6 2.4 12.3Source:CensusdataofOctober2011,NationalStatisticalSurvey,2012;GeoinfoLLC,2013 Takingintoaccountthevaluesofthemodel,theprojectedvaluesofBOD5,suspendedparticles,totalnitrogen and total phosphorus were calculated for Akhuryan River basin. These values werecomparedwiththeaveragedvaluesrecordedattheEIMCswaterqualitymonitoringposts(#34ontheAkhuryanRiverand#38ontheKarkachunRiver).Theresultsareprovidedinthetablebelow:Table21:ProjectedvaluesinwaterqualityindicatorsofAkhuryanRiverbasinandactualmonitoringdata

BOD5,mg/lSuspended

particles,mg/lPhosphorus,mg/l

Nitrogen,mg/l

BackgroundconcentrationsoftheAkhuryanRiver 3.0 25 0.086 0.8CalculatedincreaseinGyumri 23.2 34.8 1.2 6.0CalculatedincreaseinArtikandMaralik 40.8 61.2 2.0 10.5CalculatedincreaseinAkhuryanRiverbasin 47.7 71.6 2.4 12.3Modelcalculatedvalue(observationpost#34) 44.1 88.26 2.1 11.4Actualmonitoringdata(observationpost#34) 3 208.6 0.24 4.5Thedifferenceofmodelandactualconcentrations,% 93 136 89 61Modelcalculatedvalue(observationpost#38) 38.8 80.8 1.9 10Actualmonitoringdata(observationpost#38) 2.7 70 0.26 5Thedifferenceofmodelandactualconcentrations,% 93 13 86 50

Source:GeoinfoLLC,2013The resultsshow that there isasignificantdifferencebetweenwaterqualitymonitoringdataandmodelcalculateddata.Itisalsonoteworthytomentionthatassessmentofthedifferenceofmodelvaluesandactualmonitoringdataisalmostthesameinbothobservationpoints.Amongthereasonsfor such discrepancy on should mention that the point nature of the pressure of communalwastewatersanduseofthemodelweremostprobably incompleteor limited.Firstly,wastewatersare not totally treated, and, secondly, there are great losses in sewage pipelines,which lead todispersionofwastewatersandreductionof the impactonriverwaterquality.Theprocessofselftreatmentalsoneedstobetakenintoaccount,whichisapparentfromrelativelylowvaluesofactualconcentrationsofnitrogenandphosphorus.However the data show that communalwastewater has significant pressure on the quality ofwaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin.

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Armavir,MetsamorandTalin townsareviewedaspotentialsourcesofsignificantpressures fromcommunalwastewaterinMetsamorRiverbasin.Therearesewagewatercollectorsinthesetowns,which discharge the collected wastewater into open water bodies without any treatment. ThesewagepipelinesofArmavirandMetsamortownsareconnectedtothecommunalwastewatersbutare discharged into the Metsamor River through the sewage pipeline, practically without anytreatment.Wastewaters from the Talin sewage collector are discharged into the SelavMastarainternal stream bed, thus discharging again into the upper section of theMetsamor River. TheassessmentoftheimpactofcommunalwastewatersoftheriverbasinonqualityofwaterresourcesoftheMetsamorRiverhasbeenimplementedusingthesimplifiedmodelofpointsourcepollution,describedabove(Table25).Table22:PressurefromsewagewaterofthetownsofMetsamorRiverbasin

Settlement Population BOD5,mg/sec CODBichromat SP,mg/secPhosphorus,

mg/secNitrogentotal,

mg/secAmmoniummg/sec

Armavir 29,319 23.61 35.42 35.42 0.57 6.10 4.05Metsamor 9,191 7.29 10.94 10.94 0.18 1.88 1.25Talin 5,310 3.96 5.94 5.94 0.10 1.02 0.68

Total 211,402 174.31 261.46 261.46 4.22 45.03 29.92Source:CensusdataofOctober2011,NationalStatisticalSurvey,2012;GeoinfoLLC,2013Takingintoaccountthevaluesofthemodel,theprojectedvaluesofBOD5,suspendedparticles,totalnitrogen,ammoniumand totalphosphoruswerecalculated forMetsamorRiverbasin.Thevalueswereobtainedbydividingthepollutantinflowratebythewaterflow.Thesevalueswerecomparedwiththeaveragedvalue(20092012)oftheEIMC40thobservationpoint(11kmaboveEchmiadzin)formonitoringofwaterqualityoftheMetsamorRiver.Theresultsareprovidedbelow:Table23:ProjectedincrementsinwaterqualityindicatorsofMetsamorRiverbasinandactualmonitoringdata Valuesofindicatorconcentrations

BOD5,mgD/l

CODfullmgD/l

SPmg/l

Phosphorus,mg/l

NitrogenmNg/l

Ammoniummg/sec

BackgroundconcentrationsofMetsamor 3.0 10 6.2 0.174 2.27 0.103CalculatedincreaseinMetsamor 5.56 8.33 8.33 0.13 1.44 0.95CalculatedincreaseinArmavir 1.72 2.57 2.57 0.04 0.44 0.29CalculatedincreaseinTalin 0.93 1.40 1.40 0.02 0.24 0.16Totalestimatedincreasebycalculationofthenumberofpopulationofthreetowns

8.20 12.30 12.30 0.20 2.12 1.41Totalestimatedincreasebycalculationofthetotalnumberofpopulationinriverbasin

41.50 62.25 62.25 1.00 10.72 7.12Expectedmodelvaluebycalculationofthenumberofpopulationofthreetowns

11.2 22.30 18.5 0.374 4.39 1.513Expectedmodelvaluebycalculationofthetotalnumberofpopulationinriverbasin

44.5 72.25 68.45 1.174 12.99 7.103Actualmonitoringdata(observationpost#40) 3.0 29 22,5 0.281 4.2 0.89Thedifferenceofmodelandactualconcentrations 41.5 43.25 45.95 0.893 9.09 6.213

Source:GeoinfoLLC,2013

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The resultsshow that there isasignificantdifferencebetweenwaterqualitymonitoringdataandmodelcalculateddata,asinthecaseofAkhuryanRiverbasin.Thisdifferencealsocouldbeexplainedbythefactthatrecognitionofthepointnatureofpressureofcommunalwastewatersanduseofthemodelaremostprobably incompleteor limited. Firstly,wastewatersarenot totally treated,and,secondly, therearegreat losses insewagepipelines,which lead todispersionofwastewatersandreductionofthe impactonriverwaterquality.However, ifwetakeonlythecumulativecommunalpressureofthethree largesettlementsoftheMetsamorRiverbasinthroughthesewagepipeline,themodel calculateddatawillbequite consistentwith actualmonitoringdata, except theBOD5indicator.Theprocessofselftreatmentalsoneedstobetakenintoaccount,whichisapparentfromrelatively low values of actual concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus. In general, theaforementionedresultsshowthatcommunalwastewatershavesignificantpressureonqualityofwaterresourcesoftheMetsamorRiverbasin.3.1.2.WastewaterdischargefromfoodindustryFood industrywastewaters discharge into the sewage network in Akhuryan andMetsamor riverbasins,thereforetheimpactofthesewaterflowsisaddedtotheimpactofsewagepipeline.The 86% of industrial enterprises in Akhuryan River basin is centralized in Gyumri town, andindustrial flowsdischarge into the sewagenetwork, thusadding the impactof these flows to theimpactofsewagepipeline.ThepressureoffoodenterprisesonqualityofwaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanRiver isalsoconsideredassignificant, taking intoconsiderationmonitoringdata in themonitoringpost#34(RiverAkhuryan,5kmdownstreamofGyumri).Thevolumeofall industrial flows inMetsamorRiverbasinmakes0.015m3/sec. in total.TheyaredischargedintogeneralurbansewagepipelineandthendumpedintotheMetsamorRiver.IndustrialflowsofTalinarealsotreatedandfinallydischargedintotheMetsamorRiver.Thequantityoffoodindustrywastewaters isactuallysmall inArmavirandTalin.Forexample,thevolumeofalltypesofindustrialwastewatersdischarged intoArmavirsewagepipeline ishalfofthevolumeofcommunalwastewaters.Theproportionoffood industrydischarge isnot identified,therefore, it is impossibletodifferentiatethe foodenterprisepressure fromcommunalpressure.However, foodenterprisesalsohavesignificantpressureonqualityofwaterresourcesoftheMetsamorRiver.Table24:RelativelylargeenterprisesofMetsamorRiverbasin

Nameoftheenterprise Region FieldofactivityArmavirMAPCJSC Armavir Cannedfoodproduction,foodproductionLevonLtd. Armavir Cannedfoodproduction,foodproductionBiokatPlusLtd. Talin FoodanddairyproductionArmavorFermerCJSC Armavir FishfarmingArmeniaWineCJSC Talin DrinkproductionGoldenGrapeArmasOJSC Armavir ProcessingofagriculturalproductsSardarapatCJSC Baghramyan Cannedfoodproduction,foodproductionZovk Armavir BeverageproductionLocalBranchofYerevanBrandyFactoryCJSC Armavir DrinkproductionBreadbakingplant Armavir BreadproductionBreadbakingplant Talin Breadproduction

Source:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013

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3.1.3.WastewaterdischargefromnonfoodindustryandminingInorder to assess impactsofmining andother industrialdischarge inAkhuryanRiverbasin, thedynamicsofvaluesofmetalconcentrationsacrosstheriverstream(betweentheobservationpostsand in theobservationposts)wasstudied,and relevantclassificationwasmade.Theclassificationwasbasedonannualaverageconcentrationvaluesof indicators for theperiodof20102012.Theclassificationwasmade according to the Resolution #75N of theGovernment of Armenia of 27January2011OnEstablishingthenormsforassuringwaterqualityofeachbasinmanagementarea,dependinguponlocalpeculiarities(Annex1).As the classification isbasedonnaturalbackground concentrationsofmetals, it allows assessingindustrial pressure. Owing to the impact of sewage water of Gyumri town, pollution loads ofchromium,nickel,zinc,molybdenum,cadmium,antimonyandleadincreasedintheAkhuryanRiver(30%wastakenasamaximumpermissibleconcentrationusingexpertjudgmentmethod).Pollutionloadsof sodium, calcium, vanadium, iron,manganese, cobalt and lead increased across the riverstream up to Gyumri and further. Despite the increase, the indicators were still classified asexcellentandgoodquality,accordingtotheecologicalnormsofclassificationofwaterquality.Pollution loads of sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, bromine, manganese, strontium,molybdenum,antimony,sulphateandchlorideionsandmineralizationvalueshaveincreasedintheKarkachunRiver,asaresultofextractionoftuffandothermineralsinArtikregion.Classificationofthe abovementioned indicatorswas also carried out. Out of these indicators, only sodium andammoniumwere classified as poor,manganese andmineralization moderate, and the restwereclassifiedasthosehavinggoodorexcellentstatus.InthelowersectionsoftheAshotsktributaryoftheAkhuryanRiverthereareironandmolybdenumoredeposits,whichhaveneverbeenunderexploitation.Drainagewaters fromthesesitescontainhighconcentrationsofarsenic,titanium,manganese,nickel,iron,chrome,boron.AccordingtodatafromEIMC, theconcentrationofarsenic inAshotskRivermouthexceeds theconcentrationat theriversourcebyalmost50times.Asaresult,thewaterqualityinAshotskRivermouthcorrespondstomoderate(III)class.The iron andmolybdenumoredepositsofAshotsk regionpose significantpressureonAshotsktributaryofAkhuryanRiver. Extractionandprocessingofconstructionmaterialshas significantimpactontheKarkachunRiver.Constructionmaterials,particularly tuff,andesitebasalt,perlitesandsandscoriaeareextracted inMetsamorRiverbasin.Currentlythereare50minesintheriverbasin.Thereare35operationalpitsinArmavirregion,ontotallandareaof420hectares.Dischargefrommines,thelayerwashedfromsurface, operation of extracting equipment, discharge of cooling liquids from crushing andprocessing activities have certain impacts on water quality of the Metsamor River. However,presentlyitisimpossibletodifferentiatetheportionoftheseimpactsintheoverallpollution,duetoabsenceofrelevantdata.Most industrialdischarges come fromArmavirHoktemberyaniFerosplavCJSC,at thevolumeof485.1 t/year. Sulfurdioxidegenerally is themajorpartof thesedischarges,partially covering theriverbasinassulfuricacidandcausingacidicerosioninthesurfacelandlayer.Asaresult,anumberofmetalsdissolve from the soil andpass intowater environment,whichmaypartially appear ingroundwater,andprimarilyinMetsamorRiverwater,sedimentsandirrigationwater.

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Inordertoassessimpactsofminingandotherindustrialdischarges,thedynamicsofvaluesofmetalconcentrations across the river stream (between and in observation points) was studied, andrelevant classification was made. The classification was based on annual average concentrationvaluesofindicatorsfortheperiodof20102012andwasmadeaccordingtotheResolution#75Nofthe Government of Armenia of 27 January 2011 On Establishing the norms for assuringwaterqualityofeachbasinmanagementarea,dependinguponlocalpeculiarities.As the classification isbasedonnaturalbackground concentrationsofmetals, it allows assessingindustrialpressure.Despitetheincreaseofconcentrationvaluesofthemostoftheindicatorsintheupstream observation point and across the river compared to background concentrations,waterqualityisstillclassifiedashavingexcellentandgoodstatus.Thus,waterqualityisnotsubjecttoanysignificantchange.Taking intoaccount theachievedresultsand thesmallquantityofArmavirindustrialwater flows (0.015m3/sec), itcouldbeconcluded thatdischargesofArmavir industrialwastewatersdonothaveasignificantimpactonwaterqualityoftheMetsamorRiver.RelevantobservationsandlaboratoryanalysisareconductedbytheEIMCandNuclearPowerPlant.Concentrationvaluesofthekeyindicators(Pb,Cs,Sr,U,etc.)correspondtobackgroundvaluesandthey are typical of the other river basins, aswell.Results of the studies show that theNuclearPowerPlantdoesnothaveimpactonwaterqualityofthebasin.3.1.4.SolidwastesThereare6officiallyoperatinglandfillsinGyumri,Artik,Maralik,Armavir,TalinandMetsamortownsofAkhuryanandMetsamorriverbasins.Allthementionedlandfillsareinapoorcondition.Landfillshaveturned intoareasof irregularwastepiles.They lack filtratedwastewatercollectionsystems,and,asaresult,wastewaters infiltrate into soils,causingpollutionofgroundand surfacewaters.Although thelandfillsareinapoorconditionandpresentasourceofenvironmentalpollution,theycannothavestrongpressuresonwaterresourcesoftheriverbasinastheyaresmallinsize,excepttheoneinGyumri.ThelandfillofGyumri,withtotalareaof40hectares,issituatedneartheAkhuryanRiverandithasanegativeimpactontheAkhuryanRiver,theriversectionlocatedamongthesettlementsfromArapiandAkhurik.Thewaterflowsgeneratedfromwashingof landfillsreducewaterqualitydirectlyor indirectly, leakingintogroundwater.InMetsamor River basin industrial and constructionwastes are transported togetherwith solidwastes to urban and rural landfills. Some wastes are stored in industrial sites and reused forindustrial and other purposes, (i.e. the slag of ferromolybdenum). Another example includes theresiduesofbrandyfactoryproduction,approximately3000t/year,whichisaccumulatedrightontheterritory of the factory. Currently this residue is used for reclamation of saline, alkali soil andfertilizationofagriculturalcrops.Theresiduesofgrapesafterthelastpressingisapproximately2000tonsannuallyandtheseareusedasforage.ItcanbeconcludedthatsolidwasteshavecertainlocalimpactonqualityofwaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanBMA.Howeveritcannotbeconsideredassignificantpressureduetospatialdistributionandsmallfootagearea.

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3.2. Diffuse sources of pollution 3.2.1.CultivationofagriculturalcropsanduseoffertilizersAbout35%ofagriculturallandsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin80,500ha,arearablelands.In2013,61,309haofarablelandsoftheriverbasinwerecultivated(Figure12).

Figure13:AgriculturalCropsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,hectares,asof2013.(Datasource:AnnualReportoftheShirakMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheShirakMarz,NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2012).Grainscropsaccountedfor69%oftheagriculturalcropsintheriverbasin.AccordingtoinformationobtainedfromtheShirakMarzpetaran,4,250tonsofnitrogen fertilizerswereusedforagriculturalcrops in the riverbasin in2013.About70 kilogramsofnitrogen fertilizerswereapplied for1ha,whereasonaverage150200kgisrequiredfor1hawithsimilaragriculturalcrops.Duetoalackofdisaggregateddataonapplicationofthefertilizersinspecificareasoftheriverbasin,andbasedonthe assumption that fertilizers aremainly appliedevenlyon agricultural lands, it is assumed thatnitrogenfertilizersused inthe intheriverbasin in2013cannotposesignificantpressureonwaterquality.About24%oftheagricultural lands intheMetsamorRiverbasin54,456ha,arearable lands. In201343,150hawerecultivated,whichcomprise79%ofthetotalarable landsofthebasin(Figure13).According to informationobtained from theAragatsotnandArmavirMarzpetarans,5,100 tonsofnitrogenfertilizerswereusedforagriculturalcropsintheriverbasinin2013.About118kilogramsofnitrogenfertilizerswereappliedfor1ha,whereasonaverage150200kg isrequiredfor1hawithsimilaragriculturalcrops.Duetoa lackofdisaggregateddataonapplicationofthefertilizersinspecific locationsoftheriverbasins,andbasedontheassumptionthatfertilizersaremainlyappliedevenlyonagriculturallands,it isconcludedthatnitrogen fertilizersused inthe in theAkhuryanBMAdonotposesignificantpressureonwaterquality.

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Figure14:AgriculturalCropsintheMetsamorRiverbasin,hectares,asof2013.(Datasource:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014;AnalyticalInformationCenteroftheEconomicReforms,AchievementsofAragatsotnMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012;andAchievementsofArmavirMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012)3.2.2.LivestockproductionManurefromlivestockproductionisoneofthepressuresposedonwaterresourcesoftheAkhuryanBMA.Manure iswashed intosurfacewatersand infiltrates intogroundwaterresources, leadingtoincreasedconcentrationsofnitrogen,phosphorousandorganiccompoundsinthewaters.Livestock production is a traditional branch of agriculture in theAkhuryan River basin. Pasturesoccupy55%oftheterritoryoftheriverbasin.Naturalclimaticconditionsandextensivepasturesarefavorablefordevelopmentofcattlebreeding,particularly inAniandArtikregionsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin(Figure14).

Figure15:LivestockintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,asof2013,thousandcapita(Datasource:AnnualReportoftheShirakMarzpetaranonSocialEconomicSituationintheShirakMarzin2013,2014;NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014)

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After collapseof the SovietUnion and subsequent economic crisis, the totalnumberof livestocksignificantlydecreasedintheAkhuryanRiverbasin.However,duringtherecent10yearsanincreaseofthelivestockcapitahasbeenrecoded.DataonpollutionloadsofnitrogenandphosphorousfromthelivestockproductionintheAkhuryanRiverbasinasof2013ispresentedinthetablebelow.Table25:AnnualpollutionloadsoffromlivestockproductionintheAkhuryanRiverbasin,ton/year

Livestock Capita Normfrom1animal,ton/year Total,ton/yearManure Nitrogentotal Phosphorus Manure Nitrogentotal Phosphorus

Cattle 105,700 8.00 0.0055 0.0013 845,600 581.35 137.41Pigs 15,700 2.00 0.0059 0.0020 31,400 92.63 31.4Sheepandgoats 86,400 0.40 0.0107 0.0022 34,560 924.48 190.08Poultry 315,000 0.04 0.0130 0.0041 12,600 4095 1291.5Total 924,160 5,693.46 1,650.39

Source:EnvironmentalImpactMonitoringCenteroftheMinistryofNatureProtectionoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013;EnvironmentalDefenseFundScorecard(www.scorecard.org),Animalwasteanationaloverview,2000IntheMetsamorRiverbasin,where47%ofthebasinarea ispastures, livestockproduction isalsoamongthetraditionalbranchesofagriculture(Figure15).

Figure16:LivestockintheMetsamorRiverbasin,asof2013,thousandcapita(Datasource:NationalStatisticalServiceoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014;AnalyticalInformationCenteroftheEconomicReforms,AchievementsofAragatsotnMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012;andAchievementsofArmavirMarzoftheRepublicofArmeniain20072011,2012)DataonpollutionloadsofnitrogenandphosphorousfromthelivestockproductionintheMetsamorRiverbasinasof2013ispresented inthetablebelow.Theresultsshowthatquantitiesofnitrogenandphosphorusdischargesboth intheAkhuryanRiverbasinandMetsamorRiverbasinareratherlarge.BasinanalysisindicatesthatthehighestconcentrationsofthesepollutantsareobservedintheKarkachun river basin of the Akhuryan River basin Ani and Artik regions, aswell as Talin andBaghramyanregionsoftheMetsamorRiverbasin.

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Table26:AnnualpollutionloadsoffromlivestockproductionintheMetsamorRiverbasin,ton/yearLivestock Capita Normfrom1animal,ton/year Total,ton/yearManure Nitrogentotal Phosphorus Manure Nitrogentotal Phosphorus

Cattle 82,400 8.00 0.0055 0.0013 659,200 453.2 107.12Pigs 36,100 2.00 0.0059 0.0020 72,200 212.99 72.2Sheepandgoats 22,200 0.40 0.0107 0.0022 8,800 237.54 48.84Poultry 320,000 0.04 0.0130 0.0041 12,800 4,160 1,312Total 753,080 5,063.73 1,540.16

Source:EnvironmentalImpactMonitoringCenteroftheMinistryofNatureProtectionoftheRepublicofArmenia,2013;EnvironmentalDefenseFundScorecard(www.scorecard.org),Animalwasteanationaloverview,2000LivestockproductionishavingasignificantpressureonqualityofwaterresourcesintheAkhuryanandMetsamorriverbasins.Livestockproductionmay also lead to overgrazing, resulting in lossof vegetation cover and landerosion,whichposepressureonqualityofwaterresources.Maindataon thepastures,aswellas largeandsmallcattle in theAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasinsin2013ispresentedinthetablebelow.Table27:DataonpasturesandcattleintheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins,asof2013

Area Pastures,ha

Largecattle,animals

Smallcattle,animals

Pastureperalargecattle,ha

Pastureperasmallcattle,ha

AkhuryanRiverbasin 126,500 105,700 86,400 1.19 1.46MetsamorRiverbasin 106,643 82,400 104,100 1.29 1.02

According to standards currently applied in Armenia, 0.5 ha of pasture is required as sufficientgrazingareaforonelargecattle,and0.05haforsheepandgoats.Basedonthecalculationsmadeabove,thereisnoovergrazingintheAkhuryanandMetsamorRiverbasins,andovergrazinghasnosignificantpressureonwaterbodiesoftheAkhuryanBMA.

3.2.3.VehicletransportM1YerevanTalinGyumriBavraRAstateborder(withGeorgia)andM7RAborder(withTurkey)GyumriVanadzorhighwaysarehighwayswithrelativehightrafficintheAkhuryanRiverbasin.Thekeyhighways inMetsamorRiverbasin includeM1 (YerevanTalinGyumriBavraRA stateborder)andM5YerevanArmavirBagaran(stateborderbetweentheRAandTurkey).Heretootheroutesarefarfromsurfaceandgroundwaterresources,therefore,theydonothavesignificantpressureonwaterresources.Basedon theanalysisandevaluationof thehighway trafficdensityand freightsconductedat thestageofthebasinanalysis,aswellastakingintoaccountthefactthatroadsmainlypassbylocationsfarfromsurfaceandgroundwaterresources, itcanbeconcludedthethatvehicletransportdoesnotposeasignificantpressureonwaterresources.

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3.3. Hydromorphological alterations

3.3.1.WaterabstractionCommunal purposes:Water abstraction for communal purposes in the Akhuryan andMetsamorriver basins,which comprises 2.3% and 11.7% of the totalwater abstraction in the river basinsrespectively, is implemented from thegroundwater resources,and ithas insignificantpressureonhydromorphologicalconditionsoftheriverbasins.Dischargesofcommunalwastewater,basedon theexpert judgment,has insignificantpressureonhydromorphological conditions of the Akhuryan andMetsamor River basins. Due to absence ofwastewater treatment facilities in the Akhuryan BMA, communal wastewaters discharged intosurfacewaterresourceshavespatialdistribution. Irrigation: The irrigation infrastructure in the Akhuryan River basin consists of the system ofreservoirs,pumpingstationsandcanals.Annuallyabout550millionm3ofwaterisstoredinthereservoirsoftheAkhuryanriverbasin,whichisprimarilyusedforirrigationpurposes.Maincharacteristicsofthestoragereservoirsthatarebuiltontheperennialriversarepresentedinthetablebelow.Table28:MaincharacteristicsofreservoirsintheAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameofthereservoir Sourceoffeeding Surfaceare,km2 Totalvolume,millionm3Usablevolume,

millionm3LakeArpi Dzoraget,Karmrajur,

Yeghnajurriversandsprings

22.1 100.0 5.0

Akhuryan Akhuryanriver 48.39 525.0 510Mantash Mantashriver 0.94 8.20 7.90Kaps Akhuryanriver 0.78 Tavshut Tavshutriver 0.58 6.0 5.75Vardaqar Karkachunriver 0.57 5.0 4.7Sarnaghbyur MetsDzoriJurriver 0.68 5.0 4.85

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014.There are 28 pumping stations in the Akhuryan River basin, including nonoperational. Maincharacteristicsofthepumpsatiationsthattakewaterdirectlyfromtheriversarepresentedbelow.Table29:MaincharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameofthepumpingstation Sourceoffeeding Capacity,m3/secCommandarea,

haVoskehask Akhuryanriver 0.55 590Akhuryan Akhuryanriver 0.36 67Akhurikfirstandsecondlevels Akhuryanriver 0.66 185Bayandurfirstlevel Akhuryanriver 0.57 91Gharibjanyan Akhuryanriver 0.64 247Kharkov Akhuryanriver 0.16

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014.Thereareabout20bigandsmallcanals in theAkhuryan riverbasin,providing irrigation toabout28,600hectares.Characteristicsofthecanalsthattakewaterfromtheriversarepresentedbelow.

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Table30:CharacteristicsofthecanalsofAkhuryanRiverbasin

Nameofthecanal Sourceoffeeding Length,kmCapacity,m3/sec

Irrigatedarea,ha

Shirakcanal Akhuryanriver 21.3 6.6 9,817Voskehaskpump,canal Akhuryanriver 6.1 0.6 590Karangiriverwingcanal Karanguriver 0.8 0.3 123Bayandurpumpingstationcanal Akhuryanriver 2.3 0.2 91Akhuryanrightbankcanal Akhuryanriver 30.18 5 4,230Akhuryanrightbankcanal Akhuryanriver 4.4 0.7 755Khothundzimechanicalirrigation Akhuryanriver 0.8 0.6 1,298LeftbankcanaloftheKaranguRiver Karkachunriver 2.9 1.5 1,144RightbankcanaloftheKaranguRiver Karkachunriver 17.4 2 1,193

Source:StateCommitteeonWaterSystemsoftheMinistryofTerritorialAdministrationoftheRepublicofArmenia,2014Reservoirs in the Akhuryan River basin disrupt the rivers continuum and alter their hydrologicalregime,includingnaturalflow,flowvelocityandlevelregime,decreasesedimenttransportation.AccordingtotheRiverbasinAnalysisreport(January2013),andexpertsobservations,about11kmlong stretch of the Akhuryan River (from Berdashen community to Pokr Sepasar community) isdiverted though the earthen canal. This was done in 1951, after construction of the Lake Arpireservoirwiththepurposeofregulatingtheriverflowbystraighteningtheriverbed.ThisdiversionalteredthenaturalregimeoftheAkhuryanRiver.

Figure17:StretchoftheAkhuryanRiverwithmodifiedriverbed(Datasources:EPIRBProject,2013;GoogleEarth,2014)

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Headwork/intake structuresof thepumping stationsand the canals thatdirectly takewater fromriversalterthemorphologyandhydrologicalregimeoftherivers,includingtheriverbanks,riparianzone,flowregimeandlevel.The irrigation infrastructure in theMetsamor River basin also consists of the system of storagereservoirs,pumpingstationsandcanals.There are about 9 reservoirs in theMetsamor river basin,with total 5.15millionm3 of usablevolume,whicharebuiltontheephemeralrivers(tributariesofMetsamorRiver).Snowmeltwaterisaccumulatedandstoredinthesereservoirs,whichisusedforirrigationpurposes.There are 30 pumping stations in the Akhuryan River basin, including nonoperational. Maincharacteristicsofthepumpsatiationsthattakewaterdirectlyfromtheriversarepresentedbelow.Table31:MaincharacteristicsofthepumpingstationsoftheMetsamorRiverbasin

Nameofthepumpingstation Sourceoffeeding Capacity,m3/secCommandarea,

haZartonk Metsamorriver 5.05 2,875Hoktemberian Arasriver 1.