Section Thirteen
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
49    WASTEWATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
IN CHINA
X. Ching Wu, Senior Engineer
Gerald E. Seaburn, Vice President
Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
ABSTRACT
Recently. Law and Engineering Environmental Services, Inc. (LAW) conducted a wastewater
improvement project for the City of Tianjin, the third largest industrial city in China. The project
included the analysis and recommendations for financial, institutional, and technical issues to
improve the city's wastewater management practices. This chapter will focus on the overview of
the project and a general discussion on how an environmental project was conducted in that
country.
INTRODUCTION
During 1994 through 1995, a wastewater improvement project covering technical, institutional, and financial issues was conducted in China by GibbAnglian Ltd., a joint venture of Gibb
and Anglian Water. Gibb is the international division of Law Engineering and Environmental
Services, Inc., located in Reading, England. Anglian Water is an UK-based multinational water
company. An eight-volume study report covering the findings, evaluations, and recommendations was completed, and three wastewater treatment/recovery facilities were designed. This
paper is presented to provide information on how this multitask project was managed and executed by this foreign consulting firm in China. Background information on current environmental conditions which is thought to be helpful for conducting environmental projects in the country is presented as well.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
General Background and Objectives
Tianjin is the third biggest industrial city in China, located in north China, close to the capital
city, Beijing. Since the implementation of economic reform started in China in 1980. there has
been considerable development in Tianjin. Nevertheless, for many years the construction of
urban drainage, sewerage, and wastewater treatment (domestic and industrial) has lagged far behind the development and environmental requirements for the city.
The Tianjin Wastewater Improvement Project is part of the Tianjin Urban Development and
Environmental Project (TUDEP) co-financed by the Tianjin Municipal Government (TMG) and
the World Bank. This project focuses on sewage collection and treatment, as well as measures
used to improve the institutional controls on sewage and pollution control. To ensure that the
TMG achieves its overall objectives of optimizing water consumption and reducing pollution
loads, it has placed particular emphasis on the reduction of industrial water consumption and the
improvement of effluent discharge quality.
52nd Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings. 1997. Ann Arbor Press. Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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