project

RECREATE

Eleven European partners will be working together on using alternative sources and additional buffers to strengthen the resilience of water supplies to water scarcity. KWR is leading a work package with four varied regional case studies: in Kalundborg (Denmark), on the Greek island of Syros, on the Spanish Costa Brava and in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland. In the last study, KWR and PWN have teamed up to tailor the serious game Aqua Ludens to the situation in Noord-Holland.

Using alternative sources to combat water scarcity

Eleven European partners are working together to strengthen the resilience of water supplies by using alternative sources and additional buffers such as underground water stores. The study is concentrating on areas where there is water scarcity or where there is a threat of scarcity because of climate change.

Four case studies

KWR is leading a work package with four varied regional case studies:

  • In Kalundborg (Denmark), Kalundborg Renseanlaeg A/S (KCR) and Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB) are developing a digital twin of the current and future water system, including alternative water sources, that is based on the Urban Water Optioneering Tool or UWOT model.
  • On Syros (an island in the Aegean Sea), the Greek water utility DEYAS, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the National Center for Scientific Research DEMOKRITOS (NCSRD) are designing and installing a second pipeline network to return reclaimed wastewater to underground storage as a source for agricultural irrigation.
  • On the Costa Brava, the Spanish water research institute ICRA and the Eurocat Technology Centre EUT are working on the monitoring and digitalisation of water reuse facilities in order to assess the risks of reuse for irrigation, aquifer recharge or urban use.
  • In Noord-Holland, KWR and PWN are working on tailoring the serious game Aqua Ludens and the system dynamic model behind it to the local area. PWN gets most of its water for drinking water production from the IJsselmeer lake but they want to increase source diversity by also using alternative water sources.

Using more alternative sources for climate adaptation

The aim of RECREATE is to raise awareness of, and confidence in, alternative water sources as a solution for climate adaptation. An open access database will be established with information about cost efficiency, the environmental and health impacts of different technologies, and alternative forms of water management. RECREATE will deliver a decision-support framework that includes climate impact modules, adaptation strategies and a decision matrix to develop adaptive water management pathways together.