The Water Europe Working Groups preparations are heating up for their annual meetings scheduled to take place at the Water Innovation Europe 2020 conference. Their agendas are being shaped up and registrations are open for you to join. In the meantime, some of their most recent developments follow below:
Working Group Nexus
The working group Nexus is currently finalising a policy brief on the Nexus in a Circular and Low-Carbon Economy. Examples are presented of water actions to strengthen food production and security energy supplies.
The policy brief does not only identify synergies between the nexus sectors, but also presents examples on how to engage people in the nexus. The Working Group will meet to discuss the final draft on June 24 during Water Innovation Europe 2020 conference.
Working Group Water Distribution Infrastructure
The recent activities have been focused on preparing and holding an online workshop aimed at engaging especially water utilities, to understand the broader challenges and opportunities for operational excellence in water distribution networks and integrate the gained insights into the evolving plans of the WG.
Key insights provided by the attendees in terms of challenges/trends were digitalization and what data to measure, different pipe materials in the network causing e.g. leakage issues, increased re-use of water in both the agricultural and industrial sectors.
With regards to opportunities, among the main insights collected are addressing water quality issues (microbes, chemicals and salt), identification and removal of microplastics, maintenance based on non-invasive technologies and use of ubiquitous sensor data for proactive maintenance. The WG will step up the engagement of water utilities and construction companies to ensure their attendance to a follow-up workshop planned for WIE2020. It is important to base the future activities on solid understanding of the business needs and challenges.
