This project focuses on reducing water pollution from heavy industry in the Kola Peninsular of North West Russia, where there are a number of very large mining and metallurgical operations and significant problems with discharges to the river system. The arctic location and heavy run-off of water when the winter snow melts exacerbate the problems. Most of the operations date from the Soviet era when environmental compliance was a much lower priority than maximising production. The project is working in collaboration with the Regional Government, the Federal Ministry of Natural Resources and ten large enterprises on policy, capacity building and practical demonstrations of improved waste water management. Two pilot projects are being designed to demonstrate low cost approaches to achieving water quality improvements.

A key aspect of the project is a comprehensive environmental assessment of the ten large enterprises, with particular reference to determination of discharged water quality. The results of this work have formed the basis for recommendations to the government of Murmansk Region and to the enterprise themselves on strategies for pollution reduction. Additional environmental assessments (EIAs) are being undertaken at the enterprises hosting pilot demonstration projects. These assessments are being made both before the pilot projects are implemented and after in order to obtain a quantitative assessment of the improvements achieved.

The Kola Peninsular is part of the Barents Region and the project is working in collaboration with multi-national and bilateral Agencies to harmonise activities within the Barents Regional Framework. Know-how transfers are being implemented between Kola and the mining and metallurgical industries of northern Sweden and Finland which operate in similar climate conditions but in accordance with EU environmental best practice.