Abstract
In 1993, USAID launched a multi-project environmental program in Russia as part of an international donor "first-wave" effort to bolster political and economic support. This report evaluates the impacts of three of those projects: (1) a project to improve Moscow's drinking water by upgrading selected upstream municipal wastewater treatment facilities and industrial enterprises; (2) a project to create a watershed management plan for communities in the Moscow River Basin, aiming to curb runoff (mainly animal waste) from commercial agricultural operations; and (3) a project to improve environmental conditions in industrial Volgograd by developing a model air quality management program. All three projects were implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The evaluation found strong evidence that the wastewater treatment project had very positive impacts on targeted treatment facilities. The project also strengthened institutions by using a combination of TA, in-country training, equipment transfer, and U.S. professional study tours. Watershed development activities were much less successful, with the sole exception of developing an environmental curriculum for schools. Finally, the air quality improvement project did not meet its primary goal of implementing a comprehensive air quality program in Volgograd. The lessons learned are that USAID and its implementers must: (1) assess carefully the potential for upgrading environmental technology in cash-strapped plants; (2) focus more on planning for replicability from the start; (3) use appropriate (not necessarily state-of-the-art) technology; (4) consider the balance between short-term results and long-term sustainability; and (5) collect baseline and other appropriate data to assess project effectiveness. (Author abstract, modified)