Drinking water for Mykolaiv: an update on the progress of the new water intake and pipeline construction.

Drinking Water for Mykolaiv: Progress on the Construction of a New Water Intake and Pipeline

As of the end of 2024, work continues in Mykolaiv Oblast on the design of new water intake and pipeline systems to supply drinking water to the residents of Mykolaiv. Currently, water is sourced from the Ingulec River. Additionally, the establishment of new wastewater treatment facilities is being discussed, reports “Suspilne”.

In one part of the city, employees of the KP “Mykolaivvodokanal” are addressing the aftermath of yet another emergency. According to the director of the enterprise, Boris Dudenko, the forced use of water from the Southern Bug Liman and later from Ingulec has led to a fivefold increase in such incidents.

“That’s why we are replacing pipes: in some cases we are replacing sections, while in others we are localizing emergencies so that we can return later to replace these sections again. Since 2022, we have replaced over 40 kilometers of networks,” Dudenko stated.

Deputy Mayor Sergey Korenyev informed reporters from “Suspilne” that the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine plans to construct a pipeline from Nova Odesa, drawing from the Southern Bug River, to address the drinking water issue in Mykolaiv.

“The pipeline is quite long, almost the same length as the Dnipro-Mykolaiv pipeline, which is about 70 kilometers. It is divided into three sections,” he said.

After the de-occupation of Kherson, efforts were made to restore the Dnipro-Mykolaiv pipeline, reported Dmitry Bezdolny, director of the Housing and Communal Services Department of the Mykolaiv City Council. However, due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and the water intake station, there arose a need to find a new water supply source.

“This took time, as studies were conducted and a suitable point was selected. Additionally, funding needed to be secured, as constructing a new pipeline is quite costly,” Bezdolny noted.

According to data from Prozorro, the construction of the water intake and main pipeline will be handled by the companies “AutoStrada Group,” “Ukrtransmost,” and “Rostdorstroy.” The total cost of the work is 7.5 billion hryvnias. These funds are allocated in the state budget.

“Geodetic and geological work has already been completed at all sections. Currently, the design of three sections of the pipeline is ongoing,” stated the head of the State Agency, Sergey Sukhomlin.

He also noted that it was initially planned to use the old water intake station in Nova Odesa:

“However, many private houses have been built around it over the years, making the operation of the station impossible due to the lack of a sanitary zone. Therefore, we slightly shifted the water intake point.

We selected a new point, which increased the length of the pipeline by about 800 meters. However, it is located upstream from the emergency treatment facilities, which reduces the risk of water supply interruption during emergencies.”

The construction of new wastewater treatment facilities for Mykolaiv will require about 132 million euros. A temporary solution may involve installing special equipment at the existing treatment facilities, which costs around 1.5 million euros. Funding is likely to be provided by Denmark.

The exact completion date for the construction of the pipeline and water intake is still unknown, but it is tentatively set for August 2025. After that, drinking water should be available from the taps of the city's residents by the end of the year.

“We also proposed to incorporate solar power stations for the water intake and pumping stations. This will allow for approximately 15% energy savings,” Sukhomlin added.