A promising proposal for the new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive

Today, 25 October 2022, the European Commission published the proposal for the new Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD). An in-depth REFIT evaluation of the UWWTD from 1991 showed that it has significantly reduced the adverse effects of the wastewater discharges from urban sources into the environment.

The proposal focuses on the quality of rivers, lakes, groundwaters and seas through cost-effective wastewater treatment. It includes essential points, such as the energy-water nexus, nutrients recovery and new requirements for microplastics and other micropollutants in line with the Circular Economy Action Plan. The sector is supposed to become energy-neutral by 2040. Moreover, the proposal also aims for new standards and limit values, an extended producer responsibility, better and digitalized monitoring and tracking of pollution, and a cooperation between health and wastewater competent authorities.

These improvements will allow to achieve a better health and environmental protection in line with the European Green Deal.

Here the link to the article on the EC website.

The Water-Smart Society, a key element in the resolution on the COP27

After the adoption of the motion for a resolution on the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 in Sharm-el-Sheikh (COP27) during the ENVI meeting on 3 October, the Resolution has been adopted in the plenary sitting yesterday, 20 October.

We are happy to announce the inclusion of the Water-Smart Society, as it constitutes a key pillar in order to mitigate climate change adequately. The Resolution represents the European Parliament position to the COP27, which will be brought forward by a European Parliament’s delegation of 15 members.

The Parliament in its resolution particularly stresses that “all stakeholders and sectors should be mobilised to achieve a water-smart society by simultaneously addressing climate change adaptation, food and water security, protection of biodiversity and a resource-efficient and competitive economy; whereas the EU and the Member States should also develop this approach through the European neighbourhood policy, the EU’s external action and in the UN agendas”

Together with the European Parliament, Water Europe will continue to work towards a resilient society, where the true value of water is recognized and realized.

The race of water utilities to reduce carbon emissions is on

The global water technology company Xylem has released the new paper Net Zero: The Race We All Win to help water managers reducing their emissions and making infrastructure more resilient to climate change.

Since the Paris Agreement of 2016, more than 70 countries have pledged to meet ambitious net-zero goals, promising to commit to a 45 percent cut in GHG emissions by 2030, and net zero by 2050.

That’s a challenge for water utilities because water and wastewater infrastructure is a major GHG contributor, making up approximately 2% of global GHG emissions, on par with the global shipping industry. With the right approaches and proven technologies, net zero is possible.

The strategies in this paper enable water utilities to hit net zero and still meet their community and regulatory obligations. More than that, these approaches can optimize utility operations to deliver better sustainability and business outcomes, hand-in-hand. Check the paper here.

MEPs vote to strive for a Water-Smart Society in the resolution on the COP27

During the last extra-ordinary ENVI meeting on 3 October in Strasbourg, the MEPs continued working on the fight against climate change with the adoption of the motion for a resolution on the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 in Sharm-el-Sheikh (COP27) taking place from 6 to 18 November 2022. Once adopted the resolution will constitute the European Parliament position to the COP27, which will be brought forward by a European Parliament’s delegation of 15 members.

Beside the key issues, such as the climate, biodiversity crisis and emissions reductions, the resolution includes the crucial challenge of water protection in several amendments, an important step forward. Particularly, the amendment 14 underlines the “crucial importance of water management for climate change mitigation and adaptation” and “that water reuse and water efficiency through circular processes must be fully implemented across the economy and society in order to make use of the value in water and ensure water security in terms of quantity and quality”.  Therefore, it addresses all stakeholders and sectors “to achieve a water-smart society”.

The MEP Water Group welcomes these amendments as it is in line with the political statement of the group to achieve to ensure water security and safety in Europe and beyond. The members of the MEP Water Group was actively engage in stressing water-related challenges for this COP27 and submitted several amendments.

To learn, you can check the draft resolution and the vote results here.

Interview with Alexis de Kerchove, Xylem Senior Director, Client Sustainability & WE Board Member College A ‘Multinational Corporations’

You are a Water Europe board member of college A ‘Multinational Corporations’- Could you tell us what drives you personally to have this role at Water Europe? What do you want to achieve?

Water Europe has close to 250 members from across the water management sector – including solution suppliers, utilities, municipalities, industrial water users and academic institutions. As the world is changing, water-related challenges need more ambitious commitments from all of us to secure access to safe and affordable water and wastewater services. My goal in taking this role with Water Europe is to bridge knowledge among all of us through networking and collaboration and bring perspective to what is possible for water with technologies, software and services. Our success as a community will lead us in transforming our commitments into opportunities for all.

Why do you consider it important for Xylem to be part of Water Europe?

Xylem is a global technology and solution supplier devoted to advancing the smarter use of water for a future where global water issues do not exist.  Being part of Water Europe provides an opportunity for Xylem experts and engineers to connect with peers and solve water technology challenges, as well as for Xylem leaders to champion themselves as advisors to policy makers.

Water Europe provides the structure needed for exchanging knowledge with all stakeholders and for all of us to grow together with a shared purpose.

Which ones do you consider the biggest challenges of the European water sector, at the moment, and how do you see us overcoming them?

Climate change is unfortunately happening, and adaptation to more frequent droughts or floods is no longer just a choice. We must adapt now or our communities will not survive otherwise as we know them.  Where we still have a chance to act is in the mitigation of further climate aggravation. It’s estimated that water and wastewater utilities contribute 2-5% of global GHG emissions.  And water use and management more broadly account for 10% of global GHG emissions. We know, however, that the services the water sector provides are nothing short than life giving.  Still, we are contributing to climate change and that’s our problem to own – and to solve.  We can overcome our emissions together by holding to our commitments, knowledge, and community through Water Europe and beyond.

Building a water-smart society is our vision. Which actions shall we prioritise to make this happen?

Water Europe’s vision can be met through strong collaboration.  Collaboration in building the framework empowers all water management stakeholders to own their commitments, knowledge, and community. Commitments to being water neutral and being net-zero in GHG emissions.  Our sector depends on it. Knowledge is to be used so that future design builds more efficiencies and determination to reduce water uses and GhG emissions. Community is to promote diversity and blend experience from all experts to the energy of youngsters. The younger generations do not accept inaction. Water Europe will only win by bringing them along with its vision, sharing with them its experience, learning from their disruptive ideas, and never shying away from demanding more.

Hans Goossens, WE President’s Editorial

Dear Water Europe friends,

We are all back from a summer that had a bit of everything. Pleasant moments enjoying the sun, cooling down in the lake or the sea, and long hours of sitting outside. Yet, this is only one side of the coin. During the summer, we all experienced an exceptional heatwave across Europe, raging fires, severe drought with dry rivers and water scarcity in many European regions. We are all confronted with the mere fact that the climate is changing, if not, collapsing in front of our eyes. Water is not only life but also living. Over these months, we saw the impact of low rivers on the transportation of goods across Europe, the whole logistics line was under pressure, slowing down the production. Water is key for all the activities of our society. If we want to go for a sustainable society, we have to go for a Water-Smart Society. The frequency and the intensity of all these events around us made us take a step further and sharpen our Water Vision, an updated version of which is expected this autumn.

In the meantime, we have already published our new position paper for a Water-Smart Nutrient Management Action Plan. This paper stresses the link between a Water-Smart Society and the circular economy. A nutrient management action plan is very important for reducing, reusing, and recycling in a better way, and has a direct impact on the water utilities. The reduction of nutrients that could enter the freshwater cycle and the recycling of nutrients from wastewater treatment increases the cost-efficiency of the whole water management cycle. The paper also includes several of best practice cases from the European collaborative research projects Nextgen, Ultimate, Water-Mining, and B-Water-Smart. To read our full position paper, click here.

Our new Water-Oriented Living Lab Notebook series publications were also made available earlier this month. They serve as a manual for those interested in driving their research and development process toward a Water-Smart Society and embedding their water-smart innovations in society, using the Living Labs concept. The WOLLs are a very important instrument for the implementation of our Water Vision and this is exactly what our September’s workshops demonstrated during the IWA conference in Copenhagen and the Open Living Lab Days in Turin. Download our WOLLs publications here. Speaking of innovation, we are also excited to share with you the recently published CNN article that features the innovative solution of the Water Europe SME winner 2022 Manhat, while making reference to our Innovation awards. Read the whole piece here.

While we are bombarded daily with news about the energy crisis in Europe, we shouldn’t allow this to change our priority; instead it should urge us to turn the treat of a looming water crisis into an opportunity for creating a Water-Smart Society. Our next Water Knowledge Europe event on the 18^th and 19^th of October will be an opportunity for us to meet again, exchange, get inspired and come up with solutions for our water challenges. I look forward to meeting you all there!

Water risks, Stranded Assets, and the power of disclosure

By Dr Patricia Calderon, Associate Director for Water Security at CDP

CDP recognises that disclosure is fundamental for the transformation we need to tackle the water crisis. It provides a roadmap and accountability mechanism. Properly harnessed, markets can deliver our global water goals at scale. They are the self-generating sources of innovation and financing that transform economies. For 10 years, companies have been disclosing voluntarily to CDP on water. We now endeavour Financial Institutions (FIs) to engage in disclosure to harness the power of sustainable finance.

CDP and Planet Tracker’s report High and Dry: How Water Issues Are Standing Assets – CDP has been timely released, as the global water crisis becomes ever more tangible. The report highlights that water risks are material to FIs. First, CDP 2021 water data showed that 134 company across various industrial sectors have the potential for closure of their operations due to water risks. We then dived into the causes and financial implications of water risks for real cases of stranded assets in four resource majors, coal, electric utilities, metals & mining and oil & gas. These were the Carmichael Coal Mine, Oyster Creek Nuclear power station, Pascua-Lama gold mine and Keystone XL oil pipeline extension, which represented a combined US$15.5 billion already stranded or at risk. Substantially, they resulted from a convergence of physical, reputational and regulatory water risks.

Current global water stress mapping shows that selected energy infrastructure is located in water stressed areas, a situation projected to increase. Importantly, CDP 2021 data also showed that there is a perceived lack of awareness from companies in these sectors on the convergence and impact of water risks. This shows that future stranding events are likely for the resource majors we looked into; and hence the importance for companies to consider water risks, and how to grow differently minimising their reliance on water.

With US$327 billion of financing arrangements due over the next 5 years for the top 42 largest global companies in these resource majors, financial institutions must now consider: assessing water risks, disclosing and managing water risks across their portfolios, engaging companies, investing in water crisis solutions, and advocating for stronger regulation. To aid the market, CDP issued this year its first-of-its-kind water related disclosure request to 1,200 publicly listed FIs, with insights to be released in time for the UN2023 March Water conference. By mobilising financial institutions at scale on water security, we aim to guide and better inform their decisions.

Water-Oriented Living Labs under the spotlight

September was our Water-Oriented Living Labs month. Water Europe participated in the IWA Water Conference 2022 in Copenhagen and the ENoLL Open Living Lab Days 2022 in Turin, organising two workshops to discuss the pivotal role of Water Oriented Living Labs (WOLLs) in supporting the Green and Digital Transition of Europe.

During the IWA Water Conference, Durk Krol also gave a speech during the EasyMining/ RagnSells business session on closing the nutrient cycle, including references to our Water Europe NextGen, Ultimate, WATER-MINING and B-WaterSmart projects.

During the two WOLLs workshops, Water Europe highlighted the WOLLs as a game changer for realising new water governance models, operating and scaling-up innovations, and exploiting the potential of digital tools, such as the Digital Twins.  The Horizon 2020 projects REWAISE, ULTIMATE, WATER-MINING, B-Watersmart, and Wider Uptake which aim at creating alliances between the actors of the WOLLs – academia, citizens, business and public institutions – to build a Water-Smart Society, were also presented. The Horizon Europe Partnership Water4all was also given the floor and contributed to both workshops. Water Europe leads the Pillar D of Water4All that intends to demonstrate and scale-up innovations through the engagement with and the creation of Water-Oriented Living Labs in the EU and beyond.

Curious to find out more about the WE WOLLs? Read our new WOLLs publications here.

EU Ministers discuss the role of European agriculture and a sustainable global food production

During the informal meeting of the EU’s Agriculture Ministers in Prague, ministers discussed about food security, the role of European agriculture and a sustainable global food production.

They agreed on the importance of a EU-wide coordinated action to maximise sustainable increases in agricultural production and accelerate the use of modern techniques in agriculture. The use of innovation, research and modern technologies, including precision farming should be a part of the solutions to further reduce pesticide and fertiliser consumption while maintaining the necessary productivity.

Besides, new trends in water management or in breeding new varieties can help the EU become more resistant to extreme weather fluctuations and new plant pests and diseases.

You can find more info here.

Water Europe and LIAA will strengthen collaboration on water-related challenges via R&D

On September 26, Water Europe’s Executive Director Durk Krol, met with the Director General of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), Kaspars Rozkalns, to agree on cooperation in the development of joint projects and discuss the inclusion of Latvian innovation players in this partnership platform.

This was a great occasion for Water Europe to mark a new step forward stronger relations with LIAA and enhance collaboration on water-related challenges through research and innovations as well as to support a better integration of the Latvia ecosystem in Horizon Europe projects.

Since LIAA has defined #MissionSea30 as one of Latvia’s national image strategy elements, the cooperation with Water Europe would offer LIAA a vast network to build new partnerships and help Latvian innovation players engage in research and innovations necessary for implementing the vision.

The Sea of ​​Missions 2030 is a set of measures to promote progress toward a cleaner Baltic Sea with the help of innovations and at the same time present the country as a place where world-requested innovations are created.

Latvia is the lead country of the 3seas initiative and thanks to its innovative ecosystem, we believe it can be a frontrunner to achieve a water-smart society. To discover more, read this article and watch the joint interview here.