advanced science and partnerships for integrated resource
TRANSCRIPT
ASPIRED - Work Plan Year 2
Draft – 1 September, 2016 1
Advanced Science and Partnerships for
Integrated Resource Development
(ASPIRED)
DRAFT WORK PLAN for YEAR 2
September 2016
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International
Development. It was prepared by Mendez England & Associates.
ASPIRED - Work Plan Year 2
Draft – 1 September, 2016 2
ADVANCED SCIENCE AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR
INTEGRATED RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
DRAFT WORK PLAN FOR YEAR 2
Approved – September 7, 2016
September 2016
Contract No. AID-OAA-I-14-00070/AID-111-TO-15-00001
Prepared for:
United States Agency for International
Development
Armenia Mission
1 American Avenue
Yerevan 0082, Armenia
Prepared by:
Mendez England and Associates (ME&A)
4300 Montgomery Ave.
Suite 103
Bethesda, MD 20814
Tel: +1 301 652 4334
Fax: +1 301.652.3733
www.mendezengland.com
Armenian Branch of ME&A
105/1 Teryan St., Suite 204,
Yerevan 0009
Republic of Armenia
Tel. +374 10 514 315
Fax: +374 10 514 317
Email: [email protected]
DISCLAIMER
This report is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of the Mendez England & Associates
and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. PREFACE 5
2. SUMMARY OF YEAR 1 RESULTS 7
3. YEAR 2 WORK PLAN 9
3.1 WATER RESOURCE DATA 9
3.1.1 Finalizing the inventory of the groundwater wells and springs in the Ararat Valley 10
3.1.2 Introduction of an automated online system for groundwater use monitoring 10
3.1.3 Strengthening the SWCIS 11
3.1.4 Applying remote sensing technologies for data analysis 12
3.1.5 Enhancing decisions support tools 12
3.2 LOW COST AND WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY 13
3.2.1 Project Design and Procurement of Materials and Services 14
3.2.2 Aquaculture Technology Transfer Center 14
3.2.3 Hayanist Project: Assessment, Follow-up and Replication 15
3.2.4 USAID Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water Activity (PURE):
Identification of Pilot Project 16
3.3 WATER REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT 16
3.4 WATER RESOURCE STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION 18
4. OPERATIONS PLAN &IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE 21
4.1 DELIVERABLES 31
5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN 32
6. ASPIRED PROJECT PMP 37
7. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE 44
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LIST OF ACRONYMS
AAB Ararat Artesian Basin
ASPIRED Advanced Science and Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development
ATTC Aquaculture Technology Transfer Center
BMO Basin Management Organization
CEW Clean Energy and Water
CoP Chief of Party
COR Contracting Officer’s Representative
Coca-Cola HBC Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company
DO Development objective
DSS Decision Support System
EA Environmental Assessment
EC European Commission
EIMC Environmental Impact Monitoring Center
EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan
ESS Environmental Scoping Statement
EU European Union
ITF Interagency Task Force
GIS Geographic Information System
GOA Government of Armenia
HMC Hydrogeological Monitoring Center
ICARE International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education
IEE Initial Environmental Examination
IR Intermediate Result
ME&A Mendez England and Associates
MoA Ministry of Agriculture
MNP Ministry of Nature Protection
MoENR Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
PMP Performance Management Plan
QA/QC Quality Assurance and Quality Control
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
PSRC Public Services Regulatory Commission
PURE Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water Activity
SCWS State Committee on Water Systems
SOW Scope of Work
SWCIS State Water Cadaster Information System
TO Task Order
WRMA Water Resources Management Agency
WUP Water Use Permit
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USATF United States-Armenia Task Force
USGS United States Geological Survey
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1. PREFACE
On September 28, 2015, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a
Cost-Plus-Fixed Fee completion type contract to Mendez England and Associates to implement the
Advanced Science and Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development (ASPIRED) Project. The
purpose of the project is to support sustainable water resource management and sustainable practices of
the water users at the core of the water-energy nexus through the use of science, technology,
innovation and partnerships approaches.
On July 15, 2016 ME&A received a request from USAID to submit a technical and cost proposal for the
expansion of the SOW. ME&A submitted a proposal to USAID including the anticipated activities as
well as a proposed time extension of 18 months on August 1, 2016. Though the proposal is currently
under USAID review, the Year 2 work plan presented below includes the anticipated activities and the
PMP indicators planned for the additional SOW and time extension and contingent upon receiving
USAID approval and contract modification for the proposed SOW and time extension. Accordingly,
this draft Year 2 Work Plan is submitted to USAID with the understanding that it may undergo
revision to reflect the anticipated contract modification.
The objective of the project supports the USAID/Armenia Mission Goal, “A More Engaged Prosperous,
and Well Governed Armenian Society”, and directly contributes to the following:
Development Objective 1(DO): More Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth;
Sub-IR (Intermediate result) 1.1.3 More Strategic Management of Energy and Water
Resources.
With a goal of reducing the rate of groundwater extraction in the Ararat Valley to sustainable levels,
the ASPIRED Project will meet or exceed the following key performance indicators:
• 30 stakeholders to be engaged in data collection activities; • 4 groundwater extraction reduction technologies to be piloted;
• 4 energy efficiency/renewable energy technologies to be piloted;
• 2 technology for closure of illegal or abandoned wells to be demonstrated;
• 5 small scale projects , leading to increased and sustained community water access,
identified by USAID Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency (PURE) project;
• 100% (of total) wells to be mapped in the Ararat Valley;
• 24% (of total) coverage of groundwater extraction points monitoring to be achieved;
• 80% Percent (of total) of datasets to be made publicly accessible.
The Year 2 Work Plan builds upon the strategy adopted during the first year of project implementation,
namely:
The need to increase resources in all 4 task areas;
Provision of in-country human resources for the tasks at hand;
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Maximizing impact per dollar spent by using more effective tools for the job, i.e. limiting the
use of international experts and maximizing the use of local and regional experts;
Adjusting the project management strategy and structure to achieve the planned results,
accommodating the USAID’s Science, Technology, Innovation Partnership (STIP) initiative,
while seeking to improve both cost-effectiveness and long term sustainable impact in Armenia;
Attracting more partners in all task areas of the Project.
This document is the result of a careful review and analysis of the key parameters guiding and/or
affecting the ASPIRED Project. It includes the USAID Task Order (TO) and guidance from USAID,
requirements in the Statement of Work proposed by USAID for cost extension as well as actual on-the-
ground experience in the successful implementation of the Project’s activities during the first year. The
ASPIRED team assessed progress of Year 1 implementation and made corresponding corrections where
needed in the Year 2 Work Plan. When assessing Year 1 progress, the ASPIRED team reviewed and
analyzed many factors including achievements, challenges, lessons learned and changes in background
conditions that have occurred during the implementation of Year 1 activities. And finally, the
ASPIRED team updated the work plan to make the optimum deployment of the resources to
successfully achieve all the project objectives for the period of October 1, 2016-September 30, 2017.
The Year 2 Work Plan contains an overview of the program strategy, an implementation strategy, and
project components for Year 2 highlighting specific changes and/or new developments in the ASPIRED
Project for the Year 2 contract period. The document also includes updated operations plans combined
with the project schedule of activities in the Gantt chart, organized by task area.
The project activities described below are based on the four components of the Scope of Work (SOW)
of the TO:
a. Water Resource Data;
b. Low-Cost and Water Efficiency Technology;
c. Water Regulation and Enforcement;
d. Water Resource Stakeholder Coordination;
Additionally, the work plan includes the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Performance
Management Plan (PMP). Project indicators in the PMP are linked with the specific project
components and sub-activities.
The ASPIRED Project emphasizes an integrated and collaborative approach that builds upon project
experiences to-date. High priority is given to building the capacity of Armenian institutions, both
governmental and non-governmental, on the national, regional and local levels to enhance their
performance in water resources management and policy development in a more consistent manner.
The ASPIRED team will continue partnerships with the USGS in developing the hydrogeological
framework for the Ararat Valley, as well as with the U.S. Global Development Lab (The Lab) and its
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GeoCenter to develop scientific tools for groundwater management and capacity building and to
explore possible opportunities of utilizing existing USAID Lab instruments. The ASPIRED team will
also make efforts to deepen its collaboration with Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (Coca-Cola
HBC), as part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the USAID Armenia and
Coca-Cola HBC on July 20, 2016. The ASPIRED team will also explore opportunities of partnerships
with other local and international donor organizations, as well as with private entities.
2. SUMMARY OF YEAR 1 RESULTS
This Chapter addresses key outcomes of the ASPIRED project after one year of operations and identifies
where progress has been made in realizing the project objectives. Excellent team work, clear
understanding of technical scope, approaches and directions of the Project and USAID requirements in
this respect helped ME&A to avoid many pitfalls and long start-up phases usually faced by the new
projects.
The ASPIRED team met its targets and objectives set for Year 1. The following activities were started
and deliverables were submitted to USAID under different components:
By the end of Year 1, the ASPIRED Project nearly completed the inventory of the groundwater
wells and springs throughout Ararat Valley to provide critical data on the operational,
abandoned, legal and illegal wells.
The ASPIRED team streamlined its collaboration with the USGS and the Lab in several areas.
Specifically, the ASPIRED team provided support for organizing the USGS-led training on
inventory of groundwater wells and data collection protocols for staff members of the Ministry
of Nature Protection (MNP) and other institutions. ASPIRED and USGS worked together on
the design of the decision support tool that will be linked with the USGS’s hydrogeological
framework design. The Lab’s GeoCenter shared links to the high-resolution satellite imagery
for Ararat Valley – an important source of data for the team.
In coordination with MNP, the ASPIRED team helped to establish the Interagency Task Force
(ITF), consisting of representatives of the government, the National Assembly, the President’s
office, NGOs and fisheries, in order to analyze and provide recommendations to the
Government of Armenia on the optimal fees for the groundwater use by the fisheries of Ararat
Valley. Conditions were set to ensure equal representation of various stakeholders’ input
regarding this issue. The issue was analyzed from multiple perspectives and among other
activities included consultations with the stakeholders from different sectors, the survey of
fisheries, the survey of communities of Ararat Valley affected by the shortage of water due to
uncontrolled use of groundwater resources, the economic assessment of the country’s
aquaculture sector, etc. The Report on Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Use in Ararat
Valley was drafted by the time of writing of this Work Plan, and will be submitted to USAID in
September 2016.
The ASPIRED team began preparations for other tasks, namely developing decision support
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tools for the Ararat Valley, introducing an automated online system for the groundwater use
monitoring, upgrading the State Water Cadaster Information System (SWCIS), etc.
In partnership with ERGIS and Coca-Cola HBC, the ASPRIED team began implementation of
the Hayanist Irrigation Project in June 2016. The irrigation to nearly 40ha of community land
will be provided by the outlet water discharged from the nearby fishery.
Outreach and communications are important elements of the ASPIRED Project, as they help to
promote the positive image of the Project and USAID’s role in the development of the country.
Following the project’s inauguration event, the ASPIRED team worked on the creation of the
PR materials, project web page www.aspired.wadi-mea.com and Facebook pages. Throughout
Year 1, the project also enjoyed substantial media coverage1.
The ASPIRED Project achieved high levels of stakeholder engagement from the Government of
Armenia, namely the MNP with the Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA),
Hydrogeological Monitoring Center (HMC) and others, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and
the Ministry of Energy and Nature Resources. While the long-term sustainability of the
ASPIRED Project results is still a critical challenge, the ASPIRED team and USAID should
make efforts to obtain the commitment of the MNP and the WRMA with respect to the legacy
of the ASPIRED Project.
List of submitted deliverables:
o Proceedings of the training program on the inventory of groundwater wells and data
collection protocols delivered by USGS;
o Data Availability and Gap Analysis Report;
o Assessment of Opportunities for Application of Advanced Technologies in Armenia in
the Aquaculture Sector.
o Stakeholders’ Mapping Report
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GJ-FxBxVlg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPxvoVwX_80
http://www.armecofront.net/mamlo-haghordagrutyunner/araratian-artezian-avazan/
http://www.armeniatv.am/hy/55497-55497 - video
http://armenpress.am/arm/news/835241/meknarkec-araratyan-dashti-storerkrya-jreri-khndirneri-lutsmann.html
http://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/205724/
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/217400/
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/854805/coca-cola-hellenic-armenia-usaid-partner-to-address-water-stewardship-in-ararat-
valley.html
http://vesti.am/archives/55330?lang=am
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3. YEAR 2 WORK PLAN
3.1 WATER RESOURCE DATA
During Year 2, the ASPIRED Project team will continue working in collaboration with key stakeholder
institutions, USGS, the Lab and its GeoCenter on creating a comprehensive and reliable data system, as
well as analytical tools for an informed decision-making process on water resources in the Ararat
Valley. The ASPIRED team will implement the following activities during Year 2:
1. Finalizing the inventory of natural springs, groundwater wells and fish farms in the Ararat
Valley;
2. Introducing an automated online system for groundwater use monitoring;
3. Strengthening the SWCIS;
4. Applying remote sensing technologies for data analysis; and
5. Enhancing the decision support tools for the Ararat Valley. 4.
Sustainability of the technical assistance project’s legacy has always been an issue. Starting Year 2, the
ASPIRED team will utilize an on-the-job training method in order to ensure sustainability of the
comprehensive data system and analytical tools for the Ararat Valley that the ASPIRED Project
technical team is currently working on. The ASPIRED Project will involve a designated technical staff
of the WRMA and its Basin Management Organizations (BMOs), State Environmental Inspectorate
(SEI), HMC, etc., as well as academia in the process of developing databases, including georeferenced as
a part of the improved SWCIS, calibration of analytical tools for hydrological and hydrogeological
modelling, etc. The technical personnel of the government agencies, 1-2 representatives of academia
(such as the Acopian Center for the Environment of the American University of Armenia, the
International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education (ICARE) and its ATC, etc.) will work
with the ASPIRED technical team during various stages of creating the databases, calibrating decision
support tools for hydrological and hydrogeological analysis and applying remote sensing technologies
for data generation for the Ararat Valley. On a monthly basis (about 3-4 days per month),
representatives of the key stakeholders will work with the ASPIRED Project technical personnel on
these processes over a period of at least 18 months.
The ASPIRED team believes that this “learning-by-doing” approach is more effective amongst the
capacity building and may increase chances of having the usage of the technical tools integrated into
the decision-making process of the key stakeholder agencies. The ASPIRED team will work with high-
level policy makers on generating a demand for application of the various tools within their agencies.
The Project intends to have a cooperation agreement signed with the MNP that clearly states the
commitments of the parties in development, further use and maintenance of the tools, such as the
enhanced SWCIS and web-site of the WRMA, the automated online system for groundwater use
monitoring in the selected fish farms, decisions support tools (such as the DSS and MODFLOW).
During Year 2, the ASPIRED Project will focus on implementing the following activities:
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3.1.1 Finalizing the inventory of the groundwater springs, wells and fish farms in the Ararat Valley
Conducted within the framework of a comprehensive inventory, the ASPIRED team plans to finalize
the field measurements of natural springs, groundwater wells and fish farms in the Ararat Valley by
late-September 2016. Early in Year 2, the Project’s technical team will continue working with the
subcontractor on finalizing the report that describes the process and final findings of the inventory,
including the database. After the database is complete, the final report will be shared with the USGS.
In November 2016, the ASPIRED team will analyze results of the inventory, as well as present the final
results and key findings of the comprehensive inventory to the stakeholders during a half-day event in
Yerevan. Following the presentation, the ASPIRED team will prepare and submit to USAID and other
stakeholders a report that summarizes the final results of the inventory.
The ASPIRED team will also use the datasets to construct a georeferenced database on deep
groundwater wells, springs and operational fish farms in the Ararat Valley as a part of enhancing the
SWCIS and decision support tools for more sustainable groundwater management of the Ararat Valley
Atlas. In addition, the spatially analyzed inventory data can be used for the design and implementation
of water and energy efficient technologies in the Ararat Valley. The Lab’s GeoCenter will be able to use
the data sets and spatial analysis results to update the Water and Energy Web Atlas of Armenia.
3.1.2 Introduction of an automated online system for groundwater use monitoring
In October-November 2016, the ASPIRED team will finalize the list of the fish farms where the
automated online system for groundwater use monitoring will be installed. The ASPIRED team will
coordinate with the MNP – specifically WRMA and its Hrazdan and Ararat BMOs – and the SEI to
select the fish farms for system installation. During the selection process, the ASPIRED team will take
into consideration stakeholders’ comments and recommendations made by the during the September
2016 meeting introducing this system.
At the same time, the ASPIRED team will announce for a subcontract on procurement, installation and
maintenance of flow meters and data loggers for the automated groundwater use monitoring system on
the groundwater abstraction points in the selected fish farms. Actual installation of the flow meters and
data loggers at the groundwater abstraction sites of the selected fish farms will start in the spring of
2017 and last for about 20 weeks. During this period, WRMA/BMO staff and the ASPIRED team will
conduct several joint field visits of to monitor the installation and testing of the equipment. After the
completion of field works, the Subcontractor will submit a technical report with a detailed description
of the activities implemented and a step-by-step tutorial on the use of the SCADA system. The
ASPIRED team will further use this tutorial to carry out on-the-job training of the technical staff
members from WRMA, BMOs, and SEI on the use of the automated groundwater use monitoring
system. The ASPIRED team will conduct the training through a series of visits to the WRMA and SEI
office in Yerevan, the Akhuryan BMO office in Gyumri, and the Ararat BMO office in Artashat, as well
as Local SEI offices in Shirak, Armavir and Ararat Marzes in late-Spring and early-summer 2017.
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After completing installation and on-the-job training, a new group of fish farms will be identified for
replicating installation of the automated groundwater use monitoring system during Year 2.
Conditions of further data usage by the MNP and its agencies, maintenance of the system, etc., will be
specified in a cooperation agreement to be made between USAID and MNP, as it is described above.
Particularly, the ASPIRED team will initiate discussions with MNP’s Information-Analytic Center,
which maintains the MNP servers to host datasets on groundwater use monitoring. This discussion will
facilitate the public release of summary information on groundwater use through the MNP and/or
WRMA websites.
During Year 2, the ASPIRED team will continue cooperating with its partners, including Coca-Cola
HBC and KfW, on possibilities of joint implementation of the activities described above.
3.1.3 Strengthening the SWCIS
During Year 2, the ASPIRED team will continue working with the WRMA on technical improvements
of the SWCIS. As an initial step, the Team will consult with the WRMA to identify the technical needs
of the Agency for further enhancement of the SWCIS. As it was agreed during the Project meeting
with the WRMA in July 2016, the ASPIRED team will work with the WRMA on a SOW for the
improvement of the SWCIS. By the end of December 2016, the WRMA will draft a new government
decision on organization, maintenance and operation of the SWC, including data updating and sharing
mechanisms, as required by the amended Water Code. The SOW may undergo revisions depending on
the approved government decision.
Once both parties reach a mutual agreement on the SOW and the implementation steps, the ASPIRED
team will assist the WRMA in the technical design of separate existing and/or new components of the
SWCIS, including Data Warehouse and geospatial database. In particular, the database on actual water
use of the SEI will be linked to the Water Use Permits database of SWCIS to allow for comparative
analysis of permitted and actual water use. If needed, a new database will be constructed for HMC to
accommodate time-series groundwater monitoring data, with its linkage to the SWCIS Data
Warehouse.
Throughout Year 2, the ASPIRED team will provide intensive training modules to the technical
representative of the WRMA, BMOs, HMC, SEI, and Armstatehydromet Service, including modules on
the GIS application, database management and data sharing via the SWCIS. Participants are expected to
utilize the skills and capacities obtained during this training program for processes of calibrating the
decisions support tools, applying advanced technologies for analyzing high-resolution satellite imagery,
etc.
Once the inventory of deep groundwater wells, springs and operational fish farms is completed, the
ASPIRED team will further integrate respective datasets built into the georeferenced database on
groundwater springs, wells and fish farms into the SWCIS. Tabular and spatial components of this
comprehensive geodatabase will complement existing monitoring data from the groundwater reference
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monitoring network, serve as a basis for assessment of quantitative and qualitative status of
groundwater resources in the Ararat Valley, and allow spatial linking of information on the existing
wells in the fisheries with groundwater monitoring data and data on water use permitting. This will
become a platform for further improvement of the SWCIS by the Project during the subsequent years
via integration of results of the automated online monitoring of groundwater use, creation of an Ararat
Valley Management Information System, enhancement of decisions support tools, and preparation of
the Ararat Valley Atlas. It could also be used for the Water and Energy Web Atlas of Armenia.
3.1.4 Applying remote sensing technologies for data analysis
During Year 1, the ASPIRED Project, with a substantial assistance of the Lab, received high resolution
multi-spectral satellite imagery for the Ararat Valley for summer period of 2015. In Year 2, the
ASPIRED team will work on developing a technical approach, methodology and timeline for
conducting land use/land cover classification in the Ararat Valley using the images. This classification
will be based on the Stepwise Procedures for Land Cover/use classification, which utilized satellite
imagery prepared by the USAID Clean Energy and Water Program in 2015 as a part of the technical
report on land cover/use classification of the Southern basin management area of Armenia using
RapidEye Imagery.
The ASPIRED team plans to initiate general analysis of the satellite imagery during Spring 2017,
including the unsupervised and supervised classification and field survey (groundtruthing). The
technical representatives of the WRMA, BMOs, MoA and academia plan to be involved in the above
described processes as a part of the on-the-job training to build and enhance their capacities in
classifying land cover and land use in the Ararat Valley.
3.1.5 Enhancing decisions support tools
In Year 2, the ASPIRED Project’s technical team will continue its collaboration with the key
stakeholder agencies and USGS on enhancement of the decisions support tools for water resources of
the Ararat Valley.
In October 2016, the ASPIRED team will conduct a needs assessment of the MNP and its WRMA,
HMC, SEI on the use of analytic tools to support their decisions. Throughout the needs assessment
process, the ASPIRED team will utilize the technical report on Conceptual Scheme of the Decisions
Support Tools for the Ararat Valley prepared in Year 1. The needs will include, but not be limited to:
the specific questions to be addressed by the decisions support tools; capacities of the agencies to use
the tools; and capacity building needs. The ASPIRED team will summarize all findings in a short report
on the decisions support tools, to be shared with USAID.
Additionally, the ASPIRED team will continue development of a geodatabase for the Ararat Valley,
using datasets provided by the stakeholder agencies, digitizing the maps, etc., which will serve as an
input data for the analytical tools.
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Starting Spring 2017, the ASPIRED team will start the process of calibration of the hydrological and
climate change models of the DSS (developed within the framework of the USAID CEWP) for the
Akhuryan, Metsamor (Sevjur), Hrazdan, Azat and Vedi river basins. As described above, the Project
team will be working on the calibration with the technical personnel of the WRMA, HMC and
academia. The datasets generated by the DSS (climatology, hydrology, water supply-and-demand
balance, etc.), will serve as input data for the MODFLOW model of the ArcGroundwater package,
which will be used as a tool to simulate groundwater dynamics in the Ararat Valley. The DSS and
MODFLOW will be used as standalone units both within the scope of the ASPIRED Project and in the
decision-making process by the stakeholders.
During Year 2, the Project team will continue its cooperation with the USGS in characterizing the
hydrogeological framework and conditions in the Ararat Valley. Activities will include the preparation
and transfer of data on the Ararat Valley (including datasets from the inventory, other datasets on
hydrology, hydrogeology, GIS coverages, etc.), as well as a review of the hydrogeological framework
drafted by the USGS. It is expected that the hydrogeological framework will be provide the areal
extent, thickness, depth, water levels, flowing and non-flowing conditions, recharge and discharge
rates of the artesian aquifer(s). The hydrogeological framework is being characterized using existing
geologic maps, remote sensing imagery, well record and logs, as well as groundwater wells field
inventory conducted by the ASPIRED team.
The ASPIRED team intends using the hydrogeological framework of the Ararat Valley for developing a
groundwater model of the Ararat Valley. Starting August-September 2017, the ASPIRED technical
team will initiate the process of calibrating the MODFLOW for the Ararat Valley, using front-end and
back-end tools for MODFLOW in the GIS environment.
3.2 LOW COST AND WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY
The objective is to assist the communities and local businesses in applying appropriate technologies for
more efficient use of groundwater resources in Ararat Valley. Under the ASPIRED TO, technologies
should be developed, piloted and evaluated for the implementation in the Ararat Valley aimed to
ensure efficient use of the water and energy resources by the fish farms and communities, as well as to
permanently close of an illegal and/ or abandoned well.
The ASPIRED Project aims to ensure efficient use of water and energy resources by implementing pilot
projects though the introduction of the innovative and affordable technologies. Pilot projects are
intended to demonstrate how the best international practices can be used to achieve the above
objective in an affordable and cost-effective manner.
Implementation of the pilot projects will include the following major steps:
Identification of the projects/technologies for piloting, their feasibility analysis, and
negotiations with the beneficiaries and/or partners on their level of effort and/or matching cost-
share terms;
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Signing of commitment letters/agreements by the parties to assure that all the parties reached a
common agreement on the technical aspects of the project;
Development of a concept paper;
Development of an environmental documentation including Environmental Monitoring and
Mitigation Plan (EMMP);
Submission of the concept package to USAID for approval;
Actual implementation involving procurement process, design, installation work, monitoring of
the implementation by contractors and adherence to their commitments
Signing of the act of acceptance upon completion of the work as well as record of compliance
with activity-specific EMMP.
3.2.1 Project Design and Procurement of Materials and Services
Design: The ASPIRED approach to project design for Year 2 emphasizes the development of high
quality, detailed designs which incorporate the use of carefully selected construction materials
appropriate to each project. The ASPIRED team will lead the design development work, using
professional technical design companies to be identified through a competitive bidding process.
Procurement Process: The ASPIRED Project will contract out design, supply of equipment and
material, and installation work to properly licensed and qualified companies via competitive bidding in
accordance with USAID procedures. Public procurement of the supply of goods and services will be
carried out for all anticipated projects. Selection of the companies will be based on their experience,
proven quality, skill and financial ability to implement the work.
3.2.2 Aquaculture Technology Transfer Center
Preparation and submission of the Aquaculture Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) project concept:
Based on the approved Assessment Study and the characteristics of the future project site selected in
Year 1, the ASPIRED team will prepare the draft ATTC project concept with all the support papers and
environmental documentation. The project concept will be submitted to USAID for approval.
Pending USAID approval of the concept, an agreement will be signed with the private (and public, if
any) partners under the Project on mutual commitments and obligations.
Engineering design of the ATTC project: It is expected that the engineering design of the
infrastructures to be constructed under the ATTC Project will be ordered by the private partner(s) of
the ASPIRED Project. The ASPIRED team will closely cooperate with the design contractor and ensure
the design answers the requirements of the approved concept.
Selection of contractors and inception of the construction work under the ATTC project: Based on the
approved designs, the ASPIRED team, in cooperation with the procurement specialist, will start the
work on the selection of contractors for provision of equipment, materials and services.
For those activities that can be completed irrespective of the weather conditions (the conditions in
February and March are not good for most construction work), the implementation of sub-contracts
15
can start right away, while for the activities that require better weather conditions the starting dates of
respective sub-contracts will be moved to April-May 2017.
Similarly, for the components and pieces of equipment that are not readily available in the local market
and that need to be imported (which may take time), the process of procurement can start during this
phase.
Completion of the construction phase of the ATTC project and inception of the operations: The capital
construction phase of the ATTC project by late-June and early-July 2017. After successful initial2
testing of all the systems, the ATTC project will enter its operations phase. During this phase,
ASPIRED’s private partner will populate the ponds with aquatic species and initiate the respective
processes in biotechnological units (bio-filters, phytofilters, biogas reactors, etc.).
It is expected that the systems will reach full-output level within 3-4 months after the inception of the
operations phase.
3.2.3 Hayanist Project: Assessment, Follow-up and Replication
Preliminary assessment of the results of Hayanist Project and examination of replication opportunities:
The project on rehabilitation of the irrigation system in the village of Hayanist started during Quarter 4
of Year 1. By mid-October, it is expected that the construction work under Hayanist Project will be
completed and all the components of the irrigation system will be tested.
Based on positive results of the tests and on actual project implementation costs and system operation
expenses (calculated based on the interim readings of electricity and water meters), the ASPIRED team
will prepare brief memo on the assessment of the replication feasibility of the water re-use concept in
other locations.
Pesticide awareness training for Hayanist farmers: In cooperation with ERGIS staff, the ASPIRED team
will carry out a series of post-project implementation trainings for the farmers - beneficiaries of the
irrigation project in Hayanist community. The training will address health and environmental
problems caused by the use of pesticides and herbicides, as well as recommend the practical alternatives
to the use of dangerous chemicals in agriculture based on best international practices.
Assessment of system performance in Hayanist: The first results of operation of the irrigation system
rehabilitated under the Hayanist Project will be visible already in July-August 2017, as the irrigation
system is expected to operate at the start of the 2017 irrigation season.
During this period, the ASPIRED team, in cooperation with the ERGIS specialists, will collect data on
the performance of the irrigation system, the quality and quantity of crops and the satisfaction level of
the beneficiaries.
2 The full-scale testing of such systems as bio-filters, phytofilters and biogas reactors will be possible only during the
operations.
16
The ASPIRED team will summarize the results of the assessment in a brief memo to be used later for
justifying similar investments in other locations.
Preparation and submission of project concepts to USAID: Based on the results of the system
performance assessment in Hayanist village and the results of examination of replication, the ASPIRED
team will prepare and submit to USAID a concept for a similar project on reuse of fish-farm water for
irrigation.
3.2.4 USAID Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water Activity (PURE): Identification
of Pilot Project
Cooperation with the PURE project in identifying pilot project sites and preparation of pre-feasibility
documents: According to the ASPIRED anticipated task order modification, the ASPIRED team will be
cooperating closely with the USAID PURE Project in identifying pilot project sites and preparing the
initial designs and estimates for improving the level of water efficiency and the quality of water-supply
services in rural communities of Ararat and Armavir regions in the Ararat Valley.
Preparation and submission of project concepts to USAID: Based on the results of cooperation with the
PURE project, the ASPIRED team will prepare and submit to USAID concepts on respective pre-
feasibility documents presented by PURE. The ASPIRED team will prepare the concepts of the
potential projects for USAID’s approval upon receiving of pre-feasibility documents from the PURE
project. Following the approval of the concept, the ASPIRED team will start project design and
implementation.
3.3 WATER REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT
The objective of the component is to support the GOA’s policy and regulatory reforms for improving
the integrated water resource development in the Ararat Valley, as well as to build the capacities of the
government agencies in decentralized monitoring and enforcement of groundwater use conditions as
set in the WUPs. During Year 2, the ASPIRED team will continue its collaboration with the
stakeholders in those directions.
In Year 1, the ASPIRED team carried out a thorough economic analysis of optimal rates of groundwater
use fee for fish farming in the Ararat Valley. The ASPIRED team developed and presented the
recommendations on the new principles and structure of the groundwater use fee to local stakeholders.
The meetings with the stakeholders and government counterparts and the summary of the survey
findings among the affected communities and Water User Associations (WUA’s) in the Ararat Valley
revealed that the main focus of the study should be broadened from the resource fee to a more
comprehensive analysis of the groundwater issues in the Ararat Valley, as the sustainable groundwater
use can be achieved by implementing number of complimentary measures rather than introducing the
new groundwater use fee structure alone. In Year 1, the ASPIRED team prepared a draft report
17
summarizing the current situation of the groundwater use and issues in the Ararat Valley as well as
further steps with a set of policy recommendations on further improvement of sustainability of the
strategic groundwater resources.
The ASPIRED team will present the interim findings of the Ararat Valley groundwater issues,
including the results of the inventory conducted by the project, to high level policy makers in
November 2016. The ASPIRED team will incorporate the recommendations and suggestions made at
the meeting into the draft final report on the study to be presented to the members of the Interagency
Task Force during the 5th and final ITF meeting. The final report, which will include a thorough
economic analysis on optimal rates of groundwater use fee, will be submitted to the GOA in December
2016. Based on the recommendations stated in the report, the ASPIRED will support the GoA in the
development of the legal amendments upon request of the latter.
As it is stated in the USAID CEW Program’s 2015 report on the key legal and regulatory issues for
improved integrated water resources management in Armenia, one of the basic principles of
management, use and protection of water resources and water systems is the regulation of water use
through water use permits. However, application of this principle requires the following mechanisms
in place:
Regular monitoring of water resources,
Up-to-date and operational SWCIS and summary of the data recorded.
In Year 2, the ASPIRED team will start working on a package of recommendations with proposed
regulatory amendments for decentralized monitoring and enforcement of water permitting process,
improved monitoring of groundwater resources in the Ararat Valley, and enhancement of the SWCIS.
Particularly, the ASPIRED team will initiate discussions with the stakeholder agencies (WRMA, BMOs,
SEI, HMC) to identify ways of improving the regulatory mechanisms for WUP monitoring and
compliance, cooperate with USAID/PURE Project on identification of regulatory gaps regarding WUP
compliance and enforcement. Following these activities, the ASPIRED Project team will prepare a
package of recommendations on WUP enforcement. When preparing the recommendations package,
the ASPIRED team will take into account results of piloting the automated groundwater use
monitoring system in the selected fish farms in the Ararat Valley.
For the SWCIS to become an effective tool for informing on the decisions on water use permitting and
management planning, the ASPIRED Team will work with the stakeholders and partners on drafting a
new regulation on the SWCIS procedures. When adopted, these procedures will become a foundation
for further enhancement of the existing SWCIS, including Data Warehouse and geospatial database as
described in the Water Resource Data section of the document.
The ASPIRED team plans to work with the USGS on design of an improved groundwater monitoring
network in the Ararat Valley, based on critical gaps identified in the process of developing the
hydrogeological framework of the Ararat Valley. Once findings and recommendations are finalized, the
18
ASPIRED team will present and discuss these with the various government agencies in order to design
specific activities for Year 3.
The ASPIRED team will also design and deliver training programs for stakeholder agencies in the
following areas: groundwater use monitoring via online SCADA system; geo-database and GIS and
decisions support tools, as discussed in Section 2. The ASPIRED team will design the training curricula
based on the needs of the stakeholder agencies.
3.4 WATER RESOURCE STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION
The ASPIRED team will ensure that sufficient coordination and maximum use of available resources is
achieved between USAID, the Lab, USGS and other USAID projects – ICARE and PURE – in the
implementation of USAID objectives for the conservation of water resources in the Ararat Valley.
During Year 1, the ASPIRED team submitted to USAID a Stakeholders’ Mapping Report featuring a
matrix of the stakeholders. The document provided information on existing and potential local and
international stakeholders and potential partners, covering the government, research, private, public
sectors as well as the donor community. The ASPIRED team organized the stakeholder matrix based on
organizations, as well as their sector and focus areas in Ararat Valley.
During Year 2, the ASPIRED team will revisit and update its donor matrix on an as-need basis. If
necessary, the ASPIRED team will schedule meetings with the donor organizations for updates on their
activity status. These meetings will allow the ASPIRED team to establish linkages with existing or new
stakeholders and possible donors, as well as assess areas where the ASPIRED team can make use of
resources and avoid duplication of efforts.
During Year 2, collaboration with the stakeholders is envisaged in the following major directions,
integrated with other tasks of the project:
The ASPIRED team will continue collaborating with the Government agencies under the data
and legal components. These collaborations refer specifically to the ITF, follow-up on the legal
processes, promotion of the data transparency, cadaster-related work, and provision of capacity
building services (training of stakeholders on the groundwater resource monitoring and use of
equipment and technology).
Collaboration with USGS and the Lab started last year and is quite straightforward. Support of
the Lab is anticipated during the acquisition process of the satellite imagery for Ararat Valley,
and the ASPIRED team is engaged with the USGS in the data/information exchange for the
design of the hydrogeological framework and the DSS, also including support in the
organization of the USGS training in Armenia.
19
The ASPIRED team plans to continue relations with other USAID local projects, including
PURE and PEER grantees. The ASPIRED team started working with ICARE under the PEER
grant last year. Joint visits were made to the fish farms; ICARE was also involved in the
organization of the USGS training.
As soon as the winner of the new PURE grant is announced, the ASPIRED team and the new
grantee will conduct working meetings and elaborate the action plan, outlining implementation
of joint activities, mutual commitments and their timeframe. These meetings will help setting
realistic targets and deadlines for the common tasks. Common activities will involve joint
community visits, participation in the community events, consultations on the design of
projects, organization of project completion events.
Under the technology component: collaboration with private and public sectors for leveraging
resources and partnerships, particularly focusing on fish farms (including in-kind) for the
implementation of pilot projects as the latter will be the ultimate owners of technologies;
ICARE for the dissemination of the pilot project results among fisheries and for identification of
potential local partners among their clients - fisheries; collaboration with the Lab for the
possible know-how and technology transfer. The ASPIRED team submitted concepts for
consideration under the DIV last year, and will follow up on their statuses.
The ASPIRED team will also collaborate with the Coca-Cola HBC under the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) signed between USAID and Coca-Cola HBC on July 20, based on which
the latter contributes to some of the activities pursued by the ASPIRED team. The Team has
experience with implementation of joint projects with other donors and local private and public
sector partners from the previous CEW Project. The ASPIRED team will build upon prior
experiences and lessons learned to avoid pitfalls and to develop effective partnership for the
best results.
The ASPIRED team will consider implementation of the IDEATHON project as a pilot
initiative. Ideathon has been previously launched by USAID in spring 2016 but did not
continue due a very few number of applications received. The ASPIRED team will analyze
lessons learned and meet with the partners of IDEATHON event to confirm their interest in re-
launching the initiative. The ASPIRED team nevertheless believes that the focus of the
IDEATHON should be shifted from ideas on technology/IT solutions in water sector to cover a
broader spectrum of topics and involve a wider circle of participants.
20
Communications and Outreach
During Year 2, the ASPIRED team will focus communications and outreach work in the second
year of the project on promoting and increasing visibility of the ASPIRED Project and USAID’s role in
the water sector. This work will include the following:
Supporting various activities conducted under the project tasks;
Organizing outreach and media events, project demonstrations upon completion of the pilot
projects (Hayanist, ATTC and other events);
Developing fact sheets, success stories, bulletins, etc.) and other types of information to
spotlight project accomplishments;
Maintaining regular contacts with USAID and properly branding USAID support;
Maintaining the project web and Facebook pages which were updated/developed during the
first of the project;
Promoting positive media image of the project.
The activities proposed for the remaining period will build on previous accomplishments and utilize
experiences and lessons learned to date in understanding to what extent certain ASPIRED approaches
work for whom and why.
In all documents and outreach materials, the ASPIRED team will make sure to comply with USAID’s
branding and marking requirements and to acknowledge the role of USAID in this technical assistance
project. In cases where the Armenian language predominates above English, the appropriate Armenian
translation will be used in branding the ASPIRED Project. Programmatic areas or activities which will
prominently display USAID’s identity and will promote the fact that funding was received “from the
American People” will include, but not be limited to, outreach events, workshops, public information
campaigns, trainings and other activities that offer the possibility for high public visibility.
21
4. OPERATIONS PLAN &IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
The following table outlines the timetable for the ASPIRED Project by components.
WATER RESOURCE DATA
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
1. Inventory of groundwater wells, springs and fish farms in the Ararat Valley
1.1 Review of the final report on inventory of
groundwater wells, springs and fish farms
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Subcontractor;
CADI;
USGS
Comprehensive
inventory data on:
- Groundwater wells
and springs in the
Ararat Valley;
- Fish farms in the
Ararat Valley
1.2 Preparation of the groundwater wells and fish
farms inventory database for USGS
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist
1.3 Presentation of the inventory results to the
stakeholders
ASPIRED and
Subcontractor
A half day presentation in
Yerevan for about 50
participants
1.4 Analysis of the inventory data, including
development of geo-referenced(coded) database
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Geo-referenced data
base on groundwater
wells, springs and fish
farms in the Ararat 1.5 Development of GIS-based geodatabase on the
Ararat Valley based on data provided by
22
WATER RESOURCE DATA
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
stakeholder institutions and the inventory results
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
USGS
Valley
2 Introduction of an automated online system for groundwater use monitoring
2.1 Finalizing selection of representative fish farms
for installation of an automated online system for
groundwater use monitoring
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Subcontractor;
WRMA and BMOs;
SEI;
Coca-Cola
A list of the fish farms is
finalized
A Subcontract is made
for procuring and
installing an automated
groundwater use
monitoring system
The automated
groundwater use
monitoring system is
installed on 10-20
groundwater abstraction
points in selected fish
farms
2.2 Bidding process for selecting a local company on
procurement and installation of flow meters and
data loggers for automated groundwater use
monitoring system
2.3 Installation and testing of the automated
groundwater use monitoring system in the
selected fish farms by the Subcontractor
2.4. Review of the Subcontractor report on
installation of the automated groundwater use
monitoring system in the selected fish farms
2.5 Training of the WRMA, BMOs, SEI
representatives and fish farms in using the
automated groundwater use monitoring system
ASPIRED Project Team:
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Basin Management
Planner;
Training coordinator;
WRMA and BMOs;
SEI
Representatives of the
MNP, including the
WRMA, its Ararat,
Akhuryan and Hrazdan
BMOs, SEI, fish farms
are trained in using the
automated groundwater
use monitoring system
2.6 Identification of a new group of fish farms for
replicating installation of the automated
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Another group of 10 fish
farms is identified for
23
WATER RESOURCE DATA
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
groundwater use monitoring system Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
WRMA and BMOs;
SEI
replicating installation
of the automated
groundwater use
monitoring system
3 Strengthening the SWCIS
3.1. Identification of the steps for improvement of
the SWCIS in collaboration with the WRMA and
its BMOs, HMC, SEI and others, including
integration of the inventory data, etc.
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
STTA Database
programmer;
CADI;
MNP, WRMA and its
BMOs, HMC, SEI, etc.
A SOW for
improvement of the
SWCIS developed in an
agreement with the
WRMA
Ongoing improvement
of the SWCIS
Ongoing capacity
building of the SWCIS
beneficiaries
3.2 Integration of a geodatabase on inventory data
on deep groundwater wells and springs, fish
farms into the SWCIS
3.3 Improvement of the SWCIS based on the steps
agreed with the WRMA
3.4 Conducting training programs for the WRMA,
BMOs, SEI, HMC, etc. on data management, GIS,
SWCIS maintenance, etc.
4 Applying remote sensing technologies for data analysis
4.1 Preparation of a technical approach for land
cover/use classification using high resolution
satellite images, including methodology and
timeline
ASPIRED Project Team:
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
STTA Groundtruthing/
Data Specialist;
CADI;
The Lab and its GeoCenter;
Training coordinator
Technical approach for
land cover/use
classification using high
resolution satellite
images prepared and
classification process
initiated
Key stakeholders are
4.2 Conducting unsupervised classification,
including on-the-job training for representatives
of the BMOs, MA and academia
4.3 Conducting groundtruthing , including on-the-
job training for representatives of the BMOs, MA
24
WATER RESOURCE DATA
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
and academia provided with on-the-
job training on separate
stages of the
classification process
4.4. Conducting supervised classification, including
on-the-job training for representatives of the
BMOs, MA and academia
5 Enhancing the Decisions Support Tools
5.1 Conducting needs assessment of the key
stakeholders on the decision support tools
ASPIRED Project Team:
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Basin Management
Planning Specialist
Needs of the key
stakeholders for the
decision support tools
are assessed and
summarized in the
report
5.2 Development of a geodatabase for the decision
support tools, including digitization of the maps
5.3 Calibration of the existing DSS for the
Akhuryan, Metsamor (Sevjur), Hrazdan, Vedi
and Azat river basins, including regular on-the-
job training for the nominated technical
personnel of the WRMA, HMC and academia
ASPIRED Project Team:
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Climate Change Specialist;
STTA Water Quality
Specialist;
STTA Hydrogeologist;
STTA Economist;
STTA DSS Programmer;
CADI;
Training Coordinator
5.4 Working with USGS on development of the
hydrogeological framework of the Ararat Valley
ASPIRED Project Team:
Basin Management
Planner;
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrogeological
framework of the Ararat
Valley using data from
the wells records and
logs, inventory data, etc.
25
WATER RESOURCE DATA
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
Hydrologist;
STTA Hydrogeologist;
STTA GIS Programmer
is developed
5.5 Initiate the process of calibrating the
MODFLOW and its application tools in the
Ararat Valley
ASPIRED Project Team:
Data Management
Specialist;
Hydrologist;
Climate Change Specialist;
STTA Water Quality
Specialist;
STTA on Hydrogeology
CADI;
USGS;
The Lab
26
IMPLEMENTATION OF PILOT PROJECTS WITH LOW-COST AND WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES
No Activity/Sub-activity
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
Aquaculture Technology Transfer Center
1.1 Preparation and submission of the ATTC
project concept
ASPIRED Project
Team, STTA on
aquaculture
ATTC project
concept
1.2 Engineering design of the ATTC project Contractor Design
1.3 Selection of contractors and inception of the
construction work under the ATTC project
ASPIRED Project
Team, Contractors
Signed contracts
1.4 Monitoring the construction work under ATTC
project
ASPIRED Project
Team,
Checklists
1.5 Completion of the construction phase of the
ATTC project and inception of operations
ASPIRED Project
Team, Private
partner
Launch of the
ATTC
Hayanist project Assessment, Follow-up and Replication
2.1 Hayanist Project completion and testing ASPIRED Project
Team; feedback of
the community
members
Project Reports
Handover act to
the community
2.2 Pesticide awareness training for Hayanist
farmers
ASPIRED Project
Team, ERGIS, Coca-
Cola HBC
Training materials
2.3 Hayanist project evaluation ASPIRED Project
Team
Memo
2.4 Preparation and submission of new project
concepts to USAID
ASPIRED Project
Team
Project concepts
PURE: Identification of Pilot Project Sites
27
IMPLEMENTATION OF PILOT PROJECTS WITH LOW-COST AND WATER EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES
No Activity/Sub-activity
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
4.1 Identifying pilot project sites and preparing the
initial designs and estimates (PURE)
ASPIRED Project
Team, PURE
Project proposals
4.2 Preparation, submission of project concepts to
USAID
ASPIRED Team Project concepts
4.3 Design and implementation of approved
projects
ASPIRED Team Project design
documents and
project completion
acts
REGULATION AND ENFORCEMENT
No Activity/Sub-Activity Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
e
July
Au
g
Sep
t
Resources Work Products
1 Comprehensive recommendations on achieving sustainable groundwater use in the Ararat Valley
1.1 Presentation of the interim findings of the
Ararat Valley groundwater issues to the high
level policy makers
ASPIRED Project Team,
National Economist,
International Economist,
Policy Coordinator
Comprehensive report
on achieving
sustainable
groundwater use in
the Ararat Valley,
including results and
recommendations of
the rigorous study on
1.2 Presentation of the final draft report on
achieving the sustainable groundwater use in
the Ararat Valley, including the recommended
fee structure for groundwater use at the 5th ITF
meeting
28
1.3 Finalization of the report and submission to the
GOA
optical groundwater
use fee for fisheries
1.4 Finalization of the report and submission to the
GOA
1.5 Preparation of the documents for legal
amendments by request of the GoA based on
the recommendations of the report. ( See 1.4)
ASPIRED team,
Policy Coordinator ,
Regulatory Specialist,
Gov stakeholders
2 Preparation of a package of recommendations on WUP enforcement
2.1 Work with the MNP and WRMA on drafting
government decision on enhanced SWCIS
ASPIRED Project Team:
Policy Coordinator, Water
Resource Data team, Legal
specialist
New GOA Decision on
enhanced SWCIS is
drafted
2.2 Review the USGS report on recommended key
components of the groundwater monitoring
network and initiate discussions with the key
stakeholders
ASPIRED Project Team:
Policy Coordinator, Water
Resource Data team
Recommendations on
key components of the
groundwater
monitoring in the
Ararat Valley
2.2 Cooperate with USAID/PURE Project on
identification of regulatory gaps regarding
WUP compliance and enforcement
ASPIRED Project Team,
Regulatory Specialist,
Policy Coordinator
2.3 Initiate implementation of enhancement of
regulatory mechanisms for WUP monitoring
and compliance by starting discussions with
stakeholder agencies (WRMA, BMOs, State
Environmental Inspectorate, HMC).
ASPIRED Project Team,
Regulatory Specialist,
Policy Coordinator
2.4 Assess the needs of government agencies for a
capacity building program for improved
groundwater management, including the
groundwater use monitoring, application of
advanced analytical tools to support decisions,
etc.
ASPIRED Project Team,
Policy Coordinator, Water
Resource Data team,
Needs of the key
stakeholder agencies
for improved skills in
groundwater
management are
assessed
29
COORDINATION ACROSS STAKEHOLDERS
No Activity/Sub-activity
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
1. Water Resource Stakeholder Coordination
1.1 Collaboration with the key stakeholders,
including the Lab, USGS, government agencies,
PEER, Coca-Cola HBC
Available information,
contacts, existing
networks and internet
resources
Updated stakeholders
matrix
1.2 Follow-up and update of the matrix to keep up
with the sector changes, if any
1.3 Partnerships identified for Year 2 pilot projects
1.4 Working meetings and action plan with PURE
project
ASPIRED Project Teams Action Plan
Implementation of joint
tasks
1.5
Implementation of activities specified in the
plan (joint visits to communities, community
based events, presentations, technical assistance
to PURE team)
2. Communications and Outreach
2.1 ASPIRED web page at mea-wadi.com web site
and FB pages
Programmatic
information
Web site and FB pages
kept updated;
30
COORDINATION ACROSS STAKEHOLDERS
No Activity/Sub-activity
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep
Resources Work Products
2.2 Outreach materials (program brochure, fact
sheets, press releases, success stories)
Other task teams;
Program information;
reports; concept papers.
Brochure; success
stories, press releases,
fact sheets; media
articles; videos; photos
2.3
Project events (ITF public presentation, demo
project launch (Hayanist, Aquaculture project,
other pilot projects)
Other program teams;
stakeholders
ITF public event (Nov
2016); launch of the
Hayanist, Aquaculture
project and other pilot
projects
2.4 Ideathon piloting (Meetings with the interested
parties, event planning)
Other tasks teams,
USAID, partners of the
1st Ideathon imitative
Presentation, Ideathon
event.
3. Project Performance Management
3.1 Updating the PIRS, submitting to USAID and
responding on the feedback (if any)
Task teams inputs,
M&E plan
Site visits;
Documents, checklists,
sign-up sheets and other
means of verification
provided by teams
PMP, PIRS submitted to
USAID
Progress reports
(monthly, quarterly and
annual)
3.2 Data collection and follow up on the
implementation of the PMP indicators
3.3 Updating the project PMP/database
3.4 Submission of supportive
documents/information/data by the task teams
as per the QA/QC requirements
31
4.1 DELIVERABLES
Deliverable name Estimated Delivery Date Final report on inventory of groundwater wells, springs and fish farms December 2016
Report on Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Use in the Ararat Valley: the Role
of the Fisheries Sector
December 2016
A legal package with the GOA Regulation on the enhanced SWCIS March 2017
Groundwater extraction reduction and EE/RE technologies piloted (2+1) September 2017
Progress report on improving water resource data for the Ararat Valley September 2017
32
5. MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN
Project monitoring is a critical component for ASPIRED Project and has been integrated as an internal activity
rather than an external, stand-alone process. The objectives of the proposed monitoring system are:
Institute quality assurance and programmatic adjustments for stronger positive impact;
Guide the progress of project activities and their output;
Ensure that desired changes and impact are achieved;
Provide information on appropriateness, effectiveness and relevance approaches;
Inform future similar development intervention by extracting lessons learned.
Proven methods of performance management and quality planning, controlling, evaluation, and reporting will
be applied during all phases of the program. The proposed monitoring system incorporates not only staff input
and observations but actively solicits feedback and data from project beneficiaries and stakeholders, while
integrating measures that assure data integrity. As part of integrated monitoring plan, ASPIRED Project will
assure the following data procedures:
Scheduled verification to ensure that qualitative and quantitative data are of reasonable quality;
Provision of technical assistance to assure integrity of collected information;
Periodic review of data collection, maintenance and processing procedures to ensure that procedures
are consistently applied and continue to provide adequate information.
The M&E system provides a framework for tracking the means to an end, i.e. a roadmap of the steps needed
for the ASPIRED Project and the Mission to monitor and evaluate the processes and outcomes of a program
vis-à-vis its objectives.
Goals and Objectives
The ASPIRED Project Supports the USAID/Armenia Mission Goal, A More Engaged, Prosperous, and Well
Governed Armenian Society
Development Objective 1: More Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth,
Sub-IR 1.1.3, More Strategic Management of Energy and Water Resources.
ASPIRED Project goal: Reduce groundwater extraction in the Ararat Valley to sustainable levels.
ASPIRED Project objective: To support sustainable water resource management and sustainable practices of
water users at the core of the water-energy nexus introduced through the use of science, technology,
innovation and partnerships approaches.
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34
List of Indicators
Overall, the ASPIRED Project will be monitored using 24, both USAID and program-defined, indicators.
They serve to document the progress toward meeting four Intermediate Results (IRs) which coincide
with the four components of the project:
IR 1: Establish a comprehensive, user-friendly, open data system that is accessible to all stakeholders;
IR 2: Introduce locally appropriate, cost effective technologies to improve water resource
management;
IR 3: Introduce new policies and regulations to improve integrated water resource management;
IR 4: Ensure communication and coordination with stakeholders to avoid duplication of efforts.
ASPIRED also uses the following applicable USAID’s outcome-level indicators to generate data for
USAID’s annual portfolio-level reporting.
Data Collection and Reporting: The ASPIRED Project staff will collect data for indicators in all four
categories of intermediate results. The Project Management Specialist will coordinate the process of data
collection and analysis in collaboration with the team leaders. Effective internal communication
between the teams and awareness of the PMP targets and specific data collection instruments for each
task area are indispensable to the process of effective monitoring and evaluation of the project. The value
of the data accuracy will be emphasized and effectively communicated to the staff followed by the
training on data collection if needed.
The ASPIRED team will report the PMP data on a quarterly basis. Targets are reported cumulatively.
Those indicators which should not be reported in a given time span are marked” –“. In addition to
program reporting, the ASPIRED team will also provide data for the PPR indicators and portfolio
reviews as requested by the donor. Whenever applicable, the data will be disaggregated between
ASPIRED and PURE projects.
Data collection will incorporate the following methods:
Design and maintain an integrated database/master list for collecting and storing all data related
to the ASPIRED project, with the emphasis on reported indicators. Such database was created
during the CEW Program and was instrumental for effective performance management. The
data can be used during regular program reporting, as well as for quickly retrieving various data
on different program-specific indicators. The database will also facilitate the data comparisons
and analysis across different parameters (e.g. gender and institutional/sectoral disaggregation)
and time spans.
The ASPIRED team will report data on a quarterly and annual basis as appropriate; however, the
project cycle management assumes collection of information on a routine basis. The information
on the pilot projects, capacity building programs, completed workshops and training will be
USAID Outcome level indicators
1. Percent of population living in targeted areas with improved water management
2. Number of key implementation steps taken to improve water management in Ararat Valley
3. Kilowatt hour of energy saved annually
4. Cubic meters of water saved annually in Ararat Valley
5. Gains in the reduction of GHG emissions as a result of USG assistance
35
immediately inputted into the master list.
The standardized checklists will be developed and used during monitoring visits to the project
sites that will assess the following:
o The adherence of activities to the approved schedule, quality of work, drawbacks if any,
description of delays on planned activities and their reasons, compliance to USAID
standards related to a specific activity; documenting problems related to accuracy of data
collection.
o Direct observations during site visits, regular and frequent reviews of data reports to
identify inconsistencies will be carried out as part of the quality control process.
In addition to the quantitative data, the team will make efforts for accurate qualitative data
collection (e.g. impact of capacity building programs, training). This is particularly important for
measuring the impact of capacity building programs and the changes in the knowledge and skills
level of beneficiaries. For training or other types of capacity building programs, data will be
collected through pre and post-evaluation of beneficiaries. Pre-evaluation will serve as the
baseline information on the knowledge level of trainees, while the post-evaluation will help to
assess the impact of the training programs. For accuracy and consistency of the data, it is
important that pre and post-evaluation questionnaires contain the same questions to allow for
more accurate measurement of an impact.
As stated above, each of the four IRs specified in the PMP correspond to a specific task area of the
ASPIRED Project.
Water Resource Data: For this result, the indicators track the progress achieved by the team with the
groundwater resource data availability, accessibility, and inventory of wells in the Ararat Valley as well
as capacity building of the stakeholders in various technical areas. The ASPIRED team will use official
information on available datasets and wells mapped in the Valley as well as rely on internal data
collected during the implementation of the program, including monthly, quarterly and annual progress
reports. Whenever applicable, the reported data on indicators will be further disaggregated between
ASPIRED, USGS and the Lab.
Technology: The indicators aim at measuring the annual groundwater and energy savings resulting from
the application of technologies in the fisheries. The data will be revisited and verified after completion
of the pilot projects and their operation. The GHG emissions will be calculated based on the data on
kilowatt hour energy savings using the existing formula - annual savings in kWh*0.470. The project will
use the methodology worked out by the UNDP GEF Project “preparation of the third National
Communication on Climate Change” under the MNP published in 2014. According to their
methodology, GHG emissions factor is calculated as 0.470g per saved kilowatt hour.
In applicable cases, the ASPIRED team will measure the impact on the communities in the Ararat
Valley, by estimating the percent of the population living in the targeted areas against the total size of
the Armenian population. In this case data will be also disaggregated by gender and location also. The
qualitative impact of improved water resource on the targeted areas will be also measured.
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ASPRED will utilize standardized checklists during monitoring visits, random visits, and EMMPs
approved by USAID. The environmental and safety conditions will be monitored by means of a standard
checklist. Together with the staff engineers, the program Environmental Specialist and M&E Specialist
will visit the pilot sites for monitoring purposes. The Engineering Team will carry out regular
monitoring (at least once a week) to ensure compliance with agreed designs, schedules and EMMPs.
The Project monitoring work will be limited only to those construction activities of the Project that may
be started and completed during the construction season, as well as to the construction activities
implemented by partners under specific pilot projects.
Water Regulation and Enforcement: The indicators measure the results related to the improvement of
the legal environment in the water resource management area, particularly the ones related to water
permitting monitoring and enforcement and water fees. As this involves substantial training, capacity
building and advocacy efforts, the data will be collected on the number of consultations and workshops
organized, the level of participation and the number of people attending the training. Data will be also
disaggregated by gender in applicable cases. The source of information will be training records and
project reports.
Stakeholder Coordination: The indicators measure the success in achieving the targets for task 4, i.e.
availability of resources, points of influence in the Ararat Artesian Basin (AAB) and the establishment of
partnerships for the joint implementation of activities and pilots. The data source will be meeting notes,
reports and co-funding memos.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)
The Quality Assurance and Quality Control Plan (QA/QC Plan) is another critical element of the
performance management system. The plan refers to organizing, planning and implementing QA/QC
procedures that ensure the quality in the data collection process on activities and outputs produced by
the project team. In this process, the ASPIRED team will be guided by the performance monitoring
approaches and requirements outlined in the Chapter 203.3.2 Performance Monitoring of the ADS
Chapter 203 Assessing and Learning.
As part of its quality assurance/quality control process, the following principles will be employed:
Ensure compliance of the reported data with the USAID’s five data quality standards of validity,
integrity, precision, reliability and timeliness.
Conduct periodic data quality assessments to ensure reliability and consistency of both
qualitative and quantitative data collected and reported by the Program and verifying
performance of the program.
Making sure the team’s approach for collection and submission of data and supporting evidences
(data sources) on the PMP indicators is consistent and accurate.
As part of the QA and QC process, the ASPIRED team will fill in and submit to USAID the Performance
Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) for each indicator in the PMP.
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6. ASPIRED PROJECT PMP
The PMP is part of this work plan which identifies critical milestones and target indicators to be reached
by the ASPIRED team for implementation of the program objectives. The PMP is defined for the entire
life of the project, with indicators for each programmatic year. It includes both USAID and ASPIRED-
defined indicators. As part of this work plan, the team is also enclosing Monitoring and Evaluation and
Quality Control/Quality Assurance Plans.
The PMP outlines the indicators that project team will use to measure results, specific targets to be
achieved, the schedule and frequency for monitoring progress against each indicator. The PMP is a
summary of indicators presented in a spreadsheet where indicators and the targets for each program
component are defined. In fact, the PMP is living documents to be revisited and updated on an ongoing
basis to reflect the changes and shifting priorities of the ASPIRED project over time.
The main references used in preparing the project PMP were:
o The task order, No.AID-OAA-I-14-00070/AID-111-TO-15-00001;
o The project proposal submitted by M&E to USAID in response to the solicitation for
ASPIRED Project.
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PMP for the ASPIRED Project presents three indicators set in the USAID Armenia Country Strategy which serve to the DO 1 and Sub-IR 1.1.3.
Development Objective 1: More Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth
Sub-IR 1.1.3, More Strategic Management of Energy and Water Resources
ASPIRED Project goal: Groundwater extraction in the Ararat Valley reduced to sustainable levels
ASPIRED Project objective: Sustainable water resource management and sustainable practices of water users at the core of the water-energy nexus introduced
through the use of science, technology, innovation and partnerships approaches.
3 The targets refer to a particular year only and not presented on a cumulative basis. The baseline is not reflected in the yearly targets.
Indicator
Targets3
Data source
Collection method
Frequency
of reporting Notes: Descriptions/Comments/Assumptions
Y 1
(actual) Y 2 Y 3 Y4 Y5
- -
IR 1: Establish a comprehensive, user-friendly, open data system that is accessible to all stakeholders
Sub-IR 1.1: Ararat Valley Geocoded, real-time, publically accessible data system that incorporates water resource, groundwater, and hydrological datasets from multiple stakeholders built and shared with
the GOA
Indicators
1.1.1 Percent (of total) of datasets for the
Ararat Valley publicly accessible - 20 40 60 80
Written communication with
the stakeholders and/or
inventory report, Project
reports
Quarterly
80% of all datasets available on Ararat Valley will be
made public which is actually 100% of all the data
which can be made publicly available in compliance
with the RA legislation.
1.1.2 Percent (of total) wells mapped in the
Ararat Valley. 70 100 - - -
Field trip reports, satellite
imagery, program reports Quarterly
Percent of the total wells mapped in the Ararat Valley
that were inventoried by the ASPIRED project. This
activity was started in Y1 and will be completed by the
end of Y2. By the end of this deadline the ASPIRED
project will have mapped 100% of wells (legal, illegal
and non-operational) in Ararat Valley.
39
1.1.3 Number of stakeholders engaged in
data collection activities 7 15 20 25 30
Official information received
from different agencies of the
GOA. Program reports.
Quarterly
The data includes existing ASPIRED stakeholders -four
government agencies and PEER grantee as well as other
foreign and local organizations engaged in data
collection activities (e.g. USGS, the Institute of Water
Problems and fisheries where SCADA is to be installed).
Sub-IR 1.2: An online tool for hydrogeological modelling and decision-support for the Ararat Valley that incorporates hydrologic, economic, energy, social equity and environmental data generated
Indicators
1.2.1 GIS based decision support tools for
the Ararat Valley developed - - 1 2 -
Decision Support System with
the User Manual (if available)
End of
project
ASPIRED will produce decision support tools for the
Ararat Valley, including the DSS calibrated for surface
waters analysis and MODFLOW for groundwater
modeling.
Sub-IR 1.3: A publicly accessible system that maximizes the use of open source technology and produces reports based on high-quality, real-time monitoring data created
Indicators
1.3.1 Number of fisheries with automatic
data system installed - 5 10 15 30
Program reports and/or
information from the sub-
contractor, photos if available
Quarterly SCADA systems to be installed in the fisheries by the
ASPIRED project.
Sub-IR 1.4: Plan for decentralized, sustainable data collection methods to monitor groundwater resources and strengthened implementation capacities of partners developed in partnership with the GOA and
local stakeholders
Indicators
1.4.1
Percent (of total) coverage of
groundwater extraction points
monitored
- 4 8 12 24 Program reports Quarterly
This indicator refers to the percent of the groundwater
extraction wells covered by the monitoring system
(SCADA) installed under the ASPIRED project versus
the total number of the operational groundwater wells
available in the fisheries. The total number of the
operational wells in the fisheries is reportedly about
500. This figure may slightly change based on the
results of the well inventory and thus affect the actual
results.
IR 2: Introduce locally appropriate, cost effective technologies to improve water resource management
Sub-IR 2.1: Technologies developed, piloted, and evaluated at different sized fish farms with the objective of improving water resources management
Indicators
2.1.1
Number of groundwater extraction
reduction technologies piloted and
evaluated
- 2 3 4 -
Approved project proposals
and/or project design papers;
program implementation
reports, evaluation reports
Quarterly
Technologies introduced at fish farms or other water
use points that lead to the reduction of the groundwater
extraction by users. This indicator also provides
information on annual water saved in cubic meters.
40
2.1.2 Thousands of cubic meters of water
saved annually in Ararat Valley - 300 500 700 900 Pilot project information Quarterly
Water savings will be generated due to the
technologies demonstrated by the ASPIRED.
Sub-IR 2.2: Technologies with the objective of increasing energy efficiency and/or renewable energy generation of water users developed, piloted, and evaluated
Indicators
2.2.1
Number of energy efficiency and/or
renewable energy technologies
piloted and evaluated
- 1 2 3 4
Approved project proposals
and/or project design papers;
program implementation
reports, evaluation reports
Quarterly This indicator refers to WATER-USE related EE/RE
technologies to be piloted during the project.
2.2.2 Megawatt hour of energy saved
annually - 87 92 135 135 Pilot project information Quarterly
This indicator refers to the kilowatt-hour energy
savings to be generated due to the use of energy
efficiency and/or renewable energy technologies.
2.2.3 Clean energy generated annually,
MWh - 7 12 12 12
Concept papers, monitoring
checklists Quarterly
The information refers to the clean energy generation
capacity resulting from the introduction of renewable
energy technologies to minimize extraction of
groundwater.
2.2.4
Gains in the reduction of GHG
emissions as a result of USG
assistance
- 25 32 50 50 Pilot project data Quarterly
GHG emissions reduction-related data will be
calculated based on the kilowatt hour of savings
resulting from application of energy saving
technologies in metric tons/year.
2.2.5
Number of water users (persons)
experiencing improved quality of
water resources
- - 1000 2000 2500 Pilot project data, statistics on
communities Quarterly
Qualitative improvement of the water resource
resulting from the pilot projects implemented by the
ASPIRED Project. Whenever applicable, pre and post-
implementation water tests will be taken to detect the
qualitative changes in water. The term water users
refers to, households, local farmers and others
benefitting from this improvements. The data will be
reported from the PURE project.
2.2.6
Number of water users experiencing
improved efficiency of water
resource use
- 3 9 11 12 Pilot project data Quarterly
A more efficient use of water resulting from the pilot
projects implemented under the ASPIRED Project.
Examples of such projects may be reduced water
abstraction by fish farms due to the new technologies
installed.
Sub-IR 2.3: Based on the pilot process and available research, recommendations developed for successful water and energy technologies for policy-makers and stakeholders shared
Indicators
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2.3.1
Number of successful technologies
recommended and shared with
stakeholders and policy-makers
- 1 4 6 7 Final evaluation report with
the data Quarterly
ASPIRED will pilot at least six technologies, with their
evaluation and recommendations to be provided in the
last year of the project.
Sub-IR 2.4: Technology or method to permanently close illegal and/or abandoned wells, developed, piloted, and evaluated
Indicators
2.4.1
Number of technologies to
permanently close illegal or
abandoned wells piloted
- - 1 2 - Project reports, photos Quarterly At least one technology for closure of wells will be
piloted under the ASPIRED project.
IR 3: Introduce new policies and regulations to improve integrated water resource management.
Sub-IR 3.1: Trainings to build groundwater monitoring capabilities, capacity strengthening, and knowledge of how to use equipment; and follow-up assessments to test knowledge on groundwater
monitoring and analysis of the BMOs and relevant water management agency officials to improve enforcement.
Indicators
3.1.1
Number of trainings for building
capacity of MNP including BMO in
groundwater monitoring
1 2 3 4 5 Signup sheets, meeting notes,
program reports Quarterly
The indicators refer to the trainings on enhanced up-
to-date SWCIS and MIS for the Ararat Valley and on
enhanced transparent water use permitting, control
and oversight systems and decision support tools.
3.1.2
Number of ministry staff (and other
agencies) trained in sustainable
water resource management,
including environmental
compliance.
11 (3 women;
8 men) 12 12 12 12
Training registration sheets;
Master list Quarterly
The indicators refer to the trainings on enhanced up-
to-date SWCIS and MIS for the Ararat Valley and on
enhanced transparent water use permitting, control
and oversight systems. The indicator will be
disaggregated by gender. The training on groundwater
well monitoring has been conducted by the USGS in Y
1. 11 people from the government agencies participated
(HMC, WRMA) of which 3 women and 8 men.
Sub-IR 3.2: Rigorous, evidence-based analysis of optimal water fee levels completed, shared with engaged stakeholders and recommendations provided to the GOA
Indicators
3.2.1
Number of workshops and
consultations with stakeholders to
discuss water fee levels
4 7 - - - Signup sheets, meeting notes,
program reports; Master list Quarterly
The stakeholder consultations were held under the
Interagency Task Force umbrella. Four planned
meetings were conducted during the first year and
several more will be arranged during the second year
because of the prolongation of the groundwater fee
analysis report to the second year of the project.
Sub-IR 3.3: Water permitting monitoring and enforcement measures assessed and publicly available and recommendations, including development of regulations, provided to the GOA
42
Indicators
3.3.1
Package of recommendations to
address water permitting monitoring
and enforcement measures provided
to GoA
- - 1 - - Submission letter of the report
to the government Quarterly
The targets set in the PMP refer to the package of
recommendations, drafted by ASPIRED and submitted
to the Government.
IR 4: Ensure communication and coordination with stakeholders to avoid duplication of efforts
Sub-IR 4.1: Systems-mapping to gain and apply knowledge of points of influence, incentives, and resources of stakeholders in water and the water-energy nexus completed and shared
Indicators
4.1.1
Number of international and local
organizations participating in the system
mapping activities
17 18 19 20 20 Meeting notes Quarterly
The system mapping report and the matrix was
prepared and submitted to USAID in Y 1. During the
subsequent years, the ASPIRED will make updates in
the matrix.
Sub-IR 4.2: A transformative partnerships model to respond to needs for research, pilots, analysis and other coordinated efforts that is demand-driven, flexible, and has a plan for financial sustainability
created
Indicators
4.2.1
Percent of total funding leveraged from
stakeholders for water resources
management activities.
- 7 7 7 7
Letters from the partners
regarding provided
contribution.
Quarterly
This indicator refers to the in-kind and financial
contribution to be made by implementing partners
against the share provided by the ASPIRED Project.
This cost share indicator is not cumulative.
Cross cutting indicators
1 Percent of population living in targeted
areas with improved water management - 30 50 80 80 Program reports Quarterly
Ararat Valley currently includes 170 communities with
the population of 486,500 in the Ararat Valley.
2
Number of key implementation steps
taken to improve water management in
Ararat Valley
1 4 6 8 10 Program reports, pilot projects Quarterly
This indicator relates to policy, analysis and other
activities targeted towards improvement of water data-
related activities, including training and pilot projects.
In year 1, the ASPIRED completed the inventory of the
groundwater wells and springs in Ararat Valley.
43
The following definitions and concepts apply within this indicators framework, namely:
Training/workshops are ASPIRED approaches to sharing technical information with large
audience.
Stakeholders refer to the representatives of the MNP with its relevant agencies such as WRMA,
BMOs, Hydrogeological monitoring center, EIMC, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of
Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations, NGOs, science institutions, fish farms
which will at some or the other level be impacted by the project.
Consultations refer to meetings with individual stakeholders to provide technical advice or
expertise on a specific issue.
Automatic data system – SCADA system to be installed at the fisheries for monitoring
groundwater extraction.
System mapping activities – study of the resources, donor projects and activities, funding options
available in the AAB for preparation of the matrix of resources.
Groundwater extraction reduction technologies refer to technologies introduced at fish farms or
other water use points that lead to the reduction of the groundwater extraction by users.
Percent of population living in targeted areas – will be measured by estimating the population of
the communities/areas impacted by the project activities (e.g. re-use of groundwater from
fisheries for irrigation needs) against the total size of the Armenian population.
The term water users refer to fish farmers, households, farmers and others benefitting from this
improvements.
Key implementation steps refer to the total number of steps undertaken by the project within its
four components toward attainment of project results.
Energy saved and water saved refers to calculations associated with each installed technology or
practice.
Cubic meters of water saved annually refer to the data from the use of the groundwater
reduction technologies.
Energy efficiency/renewable energy technologies will provide data on kilowatt hours of energy
saved annually and annual reduction of GHG emissions.
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7. ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
According to the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) (DCN: 2015-ARM-010) prepared by USAID-
Armenia, the following threshold determinations are recommended for activities to be implemented
within the framework of the ASPIRED Project:
Technical assistance on data, regulatory enforcement and stakeholder coordination,
including training is qualified for a categorical exclusion;
Small-scale technological pilots are qualified for a negative determination with conditions.
The Project activities on improved data collection, maintenance and analysis, groundwater monitoring
and capacity strengthening of water management agencies, assessment study on optimal rates of
groundwater use fees, recommendations on improved monitoring and enforcement of water use permit
conditions, stakeholders’ mapping and establishment of transformative partnerships for implementing
project activities are anticipated to have no adverse impact. Thus, these fall under Categorical Exclusions
per Regulation 216, 2(c)(2)(i) – Education, technical assistance or training programs except to the extent
such programs include activities directly affecting the environment (such as construction of facilities,
etc.).
The ASPIRED Project activities on introduction of locally- appropriate technologies with the objective
of improving water management and increasing energy efficiency and clean energy generation in the
Ararat Basin, despite will have positive environmental impact in general are expected to potentially have
adverse environmental and health/safety effects during implementation phase. Thus, these fall under
Negative Determination with Conditions per Reg. 216.3(a)(2)(iii).
The ASPIRED Project will ensure environmental performance of the pilot activities per requirements of
Reg. 216, terms and conditions specified in the IEE (4.1) and (4.3). Requirements of the national
environmental legislation (RA Law on Environmental Impact Assessment and Examination from 2014
and other legal acts), as well as health standards, will be considered by the Project.
During Year 2 will the ASPIRED Project will continue ensuring the environmental performance of its
pilot activities on introduction of the locally-appropriate technologies with the objective of improving
water management and increasing energy efficiency and clean energy generation in the Ararat Basin. It
will done following the USAID environmental procedures as defined in Part 2016 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, terms and conditions specified in the Initial Environmental Examination (DCN: 2015-
ARM-010) prepared by USAID-Armenia. Requirements of the national environmental legislation (RA
Law on Environmental Impact Assessment and Examination from 2014 and other legal acts), as well as
health standards, will be also be considered by the ASPIRED Project.
During Year 2, the Project Environmental Specialist, in cooperation with engineering team and the
implementing partners, will work on the following:
Hayanist Project:
- In collaboration with the implementing partners (ERGIS NGO and Coca-Cola), design and
conduct the environmental and safety training program for the Subcontractor, Hayanist
45
community and other implementing partners before initiation of the rehabilitation works in
the Hayanist community.
The improvement of the irrigation water supply in the Hayanist community may trigger use
of fertilizers and pesticides by local farmers. A training module will be developed and
delivered to the Hayanist community stakeholders, including the representatives of the
Mayor’s office and farmers – the beneficiaries of the improved irrigation services, on use the
pesticides, according to the Armenia Agricultural Sector Pesticide Evaluation Report and
Safe Use Action Plan (PERSUAP), prepared by the USAID Enterprise Development and
Market Competitiveness Project (2014). It will include presentation of a list of registered in
Armenia pesticides, pros of using high quality pesticides, cons of using cheap, not registered
pesticides, etc. Information on the genetically modified organisms (GMO) will also be
included during training with a purpose of increasing farmers’ awareness on the GMO’s,
selection of the seeds, etc.
- Conduct compliance monitoring of the Hayanist project activities with the approved EMMP,
using onsite observation checklist.
- Prepare a Record of compliance with the activity-specific Environmental Mitigation and
Monitoring Plan (EMMP) at the completion of the Hayanist project activities.
In Year 2, the Project Environmental Specialist will continue working with the Engineering team on the
following:
Environmental screening of the project opportunities identified by the engineering team on
water and energy efficient technologies, based on documentation prepared by the engineering
team, site visits, etc. Recommendations will be provided to the Team on avoiding and/or
effectively mitigating the likely environmental, health and safety hazards for considering in the
next phases of developing project opportunities into projects.
Preparation of environmental documentation for each pilot project concept. This will include:
Preparation of the Environmental Review Checklist (ERC) for identifying potential
environmental impacts of project activities and processes based on review of
documentation prepared by the engineering team, site visit, etc. If a need for conducing
environmental impact assessment following the USAID and/or Armenian legal
requirements is arising based on initial environmental review of the concept, the
respective assessment will be prepared for the final design.
Preparation of the project-specific EMMP;
Preparation of Certification of No Adverse or Significant Effects on the Environment;
Environmental compliance monitoring of project activities.
Implementation of environmental training program(s) for the Subcontractors and other
implementing partners at earlier stage of projects initiation.
46
Schedule of implementation of the environmental compliance activities is linked with schedule of
respective activities for implementation of pilot water and energy efficient technologies in the Ararat
Valley.
The Project Environmental specialist will regularly be reporting on compliance assurance of the Project
as a part of the ASPIRED Project regular reporting to USAID, including quarterly reports.
If any of the conditions stipulated in the IEE changes, the Environmental Specialist will provide a
written communication to the MEO.