Deploying innovative wastewater management, treatment and valorisation solutions in European cities and regions in the context of climate change

Demonstrate nature-based solutions e.g. vegetated ditches, treatment wetlands and storage ponds designed to support biodiversity and favour infiltration and where possible to harvest rainwater for reuse at city and regional level, while addressing the effects of climate change.

Implement sustainable urban drainage principles and green-blue storm water management solutions to avoid and reduce pollution from rain and storm water, including during extreme weather events.

Implement energy efficiency and recovery measures and technologies from sewers and/or one or multiple UWWTPs to reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions by pooling resources; this can include renewable energy from solar energy production, waste heat recovery or biogas production from sludge.

Explore the pooling of resources at regional level to rationalise investment in resource recovery technologies and address the associated regulatory barriers through local end-of-waste criteria.

incorporate solutions for the reuse of (waste)water, addressing the increased pressures on the availability of water resources.

conceptualise, implement and test possible combinations of urban wastewater treatment, valorisation and reuse processes in selected European cities and regions (referred to as “demonstrators”).

identify the enabling conditions, e.g. legislative, regulatory, policy, governance, financing, that support the deployment of these tested solutions in other European cities and regions (the “replicators”).

develop actionable insights that European cities and regions can use to overcome barriers to wastewater reuse and valorisation, and allow further replication and upscaling.