The town of Pljevlja has around 22,000 inhabitants, while the municipality as a whole has approximately 40,000 residents. The urban area extends along the banks of the Breznica and Ćehotina rivers, while the suburban settlements are mostly located on the hills surrounding the town.
Until the mid-20th century, the population relied on several public fountains, supplied with water from the Breznica river through pipelines. These fountains were built during the Ottoman rule in Pljevlja. In 1885, the Austro-Hungarian army captured the Jugoštica spring and directed its water supply to a military camp located at the site of today’s barracks. This pipeline remains operational to this day.
In the 1970s, significant investments were made in the water distribution system and infrastructure, with the most notable project being the construction of the Pliješ water treatment plant and the Odžak water supply system.
JP Vodovod Pljevlja has been responsible for the town’s water supply since 19XX.
- Water supply: ~140 l/sec in dry periods, ~200 l/sec in rainy seasons
- Total pipeline length: 73,904 meters
- Total reservoir capacity: 4,000 m³
In 2015, DOO Vodovod Pljevlja focused on ongoing water quality control issues, especially due to significant water turbidity from Otilovići Reservoir and all other water sources between December 5, 2014, and May 25, 2015. This caused major problems for both the company and consumers, who had access to water only for technical use during this period. To address this issue, the company developed a “Plan of Measures for Improving the Water Quality Control System”, which has been actively implemented across all operational units since its adoption. The plan includes increased monitoring of water sources and the distribution system.
- Water sample analyses are conducted twice daily, including weekends, in the internal laboratory, checking physicochemical parameters and residual chlorine levels in the network.
- On May 25, 2015, the Institute of Public Health in Podgorica conducted periodic analyses confirming that the water supply was safe.
- Daily quality control is performed at the Pliješ Water Treatment Plant (PPV Pliješ), while weekly sampling is conducted by the Institute of Public Health in Užice.
- Since May 25, 2015, all tests have confirmed that the water remains safe for consumption.
On November 11, 2015, the Institute of Public Health in Podgorica conducted another periodic sampling, confirming compliance with legal standards. On December 29, 2015, the Health and Sanitary Inspection confirmed that the water from all three main sources (Odžak, Jugoštica, and Breznica) was hygienically safe, and this information was shared with the public through the media.
Furthermore, on January 19, 2016, the Secretariat for Housing, Communal Affairs, Transport, and Water Management issued an official statement confirming the continuous safety of water from all sources.