Craiova receives mountain water / Isvarna-Craiova water supply system inaugurated

The Isvarna-Craiova water supply system, second pipeline, was inaugurated on Saturday in Isvarna, Gorj County, following an investment of more than €500 million. The pipeline will transport drinking water from the mountains to the city of Craiova and the localities along the route.

The project is 123 kilometers long and crosses 16 localities. According to Craiova Mayor Lia Olguța Vasilescu, the work required approximately 7,000 expropriations, while the pipeline was manufactured under special conditions in four countries because no similar products were available on the market when the project began.

The system draws water from the Isvarna sources and Lake Tismana and represents the largest investment in water infrastructure in Oltenia since 1990. The mayor of Craiova described the inauguration as the most important day of her tenure and said that a project of this scale is carried out once every 100 years.

Vasilescu said the water is of very good quality and does not require treatment, based on tests conducted before the system was commissioned. She also said the project is the largest water supply project in the European Union. Following the inauguration, residents of Craiova and the localities along the route are expected to have mountain spring water available from their taps.