For a better anticipation on future high impact hydrological extremes disrupting safety of citizens, agricultural production, transportation, energy production and urban water supply, and overall economic productivity, prediction and foresighting capabilities and their intake in these strategic sectors need to be improved. IMPREX will improve forecast skill of meteorological and hydrological extremes in Europe and their impacts, by applying dynamic model ensembles, process studies, new data assimilation techniques and high resolution modeling. Novel climate change impact assessment concepts will focus at increasing the realism of relevant events by specific high resolution regional downscaling, explore compounding trans-sectoral and trans-regional risks, and design new risk management paradigms.

These developments are demonstrated in impact surveys for strategic economic sectors in a set of case studies in which local stakeholders, public organizations and SMEs are involved. A pan-European assessment of risk management and adaptation strategies is applied, minimizing risk transfer from one sector or region to another. As a key outreach product, a periodic hydrological risk outlook for Europe is produced, incorporating the dynamic evolution of hydro-climatic and socio-economic processes. The project outreach maximizes the legacy impact of the surveys, aimed at European public stakeholder and business networks, including user-friendly assessment summaries, and training material. The project responds to the call by targeting the quality of short-to-medium hydro-meteorological predictions, enhancing the reliability of future climate projections, apply this information to strategic sectoral and pan-European surveys at different scales, and evaluate and adapt current risk management strategies. With its integrative approach, IMPREX will link current management decisions and actions with an emergent future.

El proyecto europeo Life CerSuDS, Ceramic Sustainable Urban Drainage System, busca desarrollar e implantar un sistema urbano de drenaje sostenible, a partir del empleo de baldosas cerámicas de bajo valor comercial, que serán usadas en actuaciones de reurbanización o regeneración de vías públicas.

El proyecto que tiene una duración de tres años, está coordinado por el Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC) de la Universitat Jaume I de Castelló. En él participan el Ayuntamiento de Benicàssim (municipio piloto del estudio), el Centro Cerámico de Bolonia; la empresa CHM Obras e Infraestructuras S. A, el Centro Tecnológico da Cerâmica e do Vidro de Portugal y la compañía Trencadís de Sempre, S.L.

El objetivo de este proyecto es mejorar la capacidad de las ciudades para adaptarse al cambio climático, promoviendo la utilización de infraestructuras verdes en la planificación urbana. Para ello, mediante el desarrollo e implementación de un demostrador con un sistema de drenaje urbano sostenible (SuDS) se va reurbanizar una calle de Benicàssim que presenta problemas de drenaje pluvial.

LIFE MEMORY project aims to demonstrate (at an industrial prototype scale) an anaerobic technology, using the innovative Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (SAnMBR) technology, as an alternative to traditional urban wastewater treatment. The SAnMBR technology combines anaerobic digestion and membrane technology, allowing for the treatment of urban wastewater at ambient temperatures. Anaerobic digestion allows the conversion of the organic matter into a biogas flow (composed mainly by CH4 and CO2) that can be used at the WWTP to generate heat energy and electric power. On the other hand membrane filtration allows the sludge retention time (SRT) to be increased by 100% without increasing the reactor volume – thus in turn permitting anaerobic processes to be used for low-loaded wastewaters. Low growth rate of anaerobic bacteria coupled to longer sludge retention time reduces sludge production, so that there is less residual waste to be disposed of and fewer emissions.

This new approach focuses on a more sustainable concept, where wastewater converts into a source of energy and nutrients, and also a recyclable water resource by membrane disinfection.
The project will demonstrate the economic feasibility of using SAnMBR technology for treating urban wastewater in a pilot plant consisting of an anaerobic reactor with a total volume of 7m3 connected to two membrane tanks, each one with a total volume of 1m³.

Expected results:
Reduction of the energy consumption per m3 of treated water by 70%: the expected results would be a net consumption of only 0.11 kWh/m³ when treating sulphate-rich urban wastewater, and -0.10 kWh/m³ (net energy production) for low sulphate urban wastewater. Compared to typical consumption ratios in WWTPs based on CAS process (0.25-0.6 kWh/m³) and aerobic MBR systems (0.50-2.5 kWh/m³), the proposed technology offers a significant reduction in electricity consumption and the related carbon footprint.

Reduction of CO2 emissions from the oxidation of organic matter by 80%, passing from (in CO2 equivalents) 2.4 kg CO2/kg COD eliminated to 1.4 kg CO2/kg COD eliminated.
Reduction by 50% of sludge production (kg TSS/kg COD removed) compared to aerobic processes.
Reduction by 25% of the space requirement for the treatment facilities compared to the conventional, ‘aerobic’ WWTPs.
Establishment of a protocol for the design and operation of WWTPs based on this new technology.

Las masas de agua en espacios de Red Natura 2000 deben ser gestionadas de forma que permita el cumplimiento de los objetivos ecológicos fijados en la Directiva Marco del Agua (DMA) junto con los objetivos de conservación de las Zonas de Especial Protección para las Aves y de los Lugares de Importancia Comunitaria.

En L’Albufera de Valencia, humedal de alto valor ecológico, se han aplicado medidas para intentar dar cumplimiento a la DMA, centrándose en aspectos de mejora de calidad del agua. Pero tan solo una de estas medidas, la creación de humedales artificiales, puede servir además, para mejorar de forma directa el estado de conservación de hábitats y aves de acuerdo a las directrices marcadas por sus propias Directivas. Por ello, iniciativas como las planteadas en este proyecto tienen por objetivo:

1. Establecer las reglas de gestión más adecuadas en los humedales artificiales para optimizar conjuntamente calidad de aguas y mejora de hábitats y biodiversidad de acuerdo con la aplicación de las Directivas Agua, Hábitats y Aves.

2. Demostrar que la gestión conjunta de los tres humedales artificiales contribuye a la mejora de la calidad del agua y biodiversidad de L’Albufera.

3. Establecer una metodología para determinar indicadores de buen estado de conservación de las aves a aplicar en otros humedales de la Red Natura 2000 (RN 2000).

4. Aportar recomendaciones dirigidas a las administraciones competentes para sentar bases en el desarrollo de planes de gestión de espacios de la RN 2000 y planes de gestión hidrológica.

The mission of the SmartH2O project is to develop an ICT platform to:

Understand and model the consumers’ current behaviour, based on historical and real-time water usage data Predict how the consumer behaviour can be influenced by various water demand management policies: water savings campaigns, social awareness campaigns, to dynamic water pricing schemes Raise the awareness of water consumers on their current water usage habits and their lifestyle implications and to stimulate them to reduce water use The SmartH2O ICT infrastructure will enable water managers to close the loop between actual water consumption levels and desired targets, using information about how the consumers adapt their behavior to new situations: new regulations, new water prices, appeals to water savings. This feedback will allow to aptly revise the water demand management policies, enabling to maximise the water and energy saving goals.

The main goal of the ENHANCE project is to develop and analyse new ways to enhance society’s resilience to catastrophic natural hazard impacts, by providing new scenarios and information in selected hazard cases in close collaboration with stakeholders, and by contributing to the development of new multi-sector partnerships (MSPs) to reduce or redistribute risk. Innovation in MSPs is essential, as (ineffective) cooperation between public, private and civil society institutions often leads to failures in risk management. The ENHANCE proposal is unique as it studies the potential for new MSPs for managing different catastrophic hazards, related to heat waves, forest fires, flood, drought, storm surge, and volcanic eruptions.

Key to successful partnerships is a common understanding of risks and the implications of proposed risk reduction instruments. Therefore, ENHANCE facilitates a participatory process to develop MSPs in cases studies at different geographical- and spatial scales in Europe.
The main products of ENHANCE are:
a) a harmonised dynamic scenarios of vulnerability, exposure, and hazard at the pan-European scale, using existing information and new probabilistic approaches for multi-hazards, heat-waves, forest fires, floods, droughts, storm surges, and volcanic eruptions.
b) guidelines and key features for enhancing MSP interaction in successful resilience enhancement and risk reduction, pre-tested via participatory workshops on risk-based scenarios. c) methods for linking MSPs to novel scientific risk scenarios and assessments.
d) a toolbox of economic instruments and non-structural mitigation measures at the national, regional, and local levels developed in a participatory manner and aimed at assessing risk and increasing societal resilience.
e) policy recommendations to the EU and HFA signatories delivered through a dissemination platform for enhancing resilience from high political levels to local communities.

ENHANCE offers a team that consists of scientific research institutes, public policy organisations including UNISDR, private sector specialists and an NGO that ensure societal relevance and the feasibility of implementation of our deliverables. Within 10 case studies public and private partners will be approached to develop MSPs and to test our methods. Finally, the project will ensure that its products will impact target groups through a dissemination strategy, developed in close collaboration with members of an external advisory board.

Drought is natural hazard that has hit Europe hard over the last decades. Likely it will become more frequent and severe and the scale will increase due to the increased likelihood of warmer Northern winters and hotter Mediterranean summers. There is an urgent need to improve drought preparedness through increased knowledge on the past and future hazard, impacts, and possible management and policy options. measures, and through drought management plans and an improved sciencepolicy interfacing. This will reduce vulnerability to future drought and the risks they pose for Europe.

DROUGHT-R&SPI will address this pressing need.

Project Objectives
DROUGHT-R&SPI will enhance the understanding of:
(1) drought as a natural hazard, incl. climate drivers, drought processes and occurrences.
(2) environmental and socio-economic impacts.
(3) vulnerabilities, risks and policy responses, incl. the further development of drought management plans in support of EU and other international policies, e.g. UN/ISDR-Hyogo Framework for Action.

The project will address the past and future climate, link science and science policy dialogue across scales and across a range of affected sectors. Drought is natural hazard that has hit Europe hard over the last decades. Likely it will become more frequent and severe and the scale will increase due to the increased likelihood of warmer Northern winters and hotter Mediterranean summers. There is an urgent need to improve drought preparedness through increased knowledge on the past and future hazard, impacts, and possible management and policy options. measures, and through drought management plans and an improved sciencepolicy interfacing. This will reduce vulnerability to future drought and the risks they pose for Europe. DROUGHT-R&SPI will address this pressing need.

The overall objective of GENES is to integrate pre-existing and new scientific knowledge into new methods, concepts and tools for a better future management of groundwater resources. The research will:
 (i) use tracers to characterise groundwater flowpaths.
 (ii) improve the understanding of pollutant leaching from different land uses both in time and space considering also uncertainty.
 (iii) develop a better understanding of how ecosystems depend on groundwater.
 (iv) increase the knowledge on how these systems should be modelled to better understand how changes in land use and climate affect the groundwater and dependent ecosystems.
 (v) develop better cost-efficient management and monitoring tools.

GENESIS is a multidisciplinary research project with 25 partners from 17 countries that focus various aspects of groundwater systems research. In GENESIS research is carried out on hydrology, water resources, hydrogeology, agronomy, soil science, modelling, economy, sociology and legal aspects.
The work is organised in eight work packages. The first WP1 harmonises monitoring practices between partners. The main scientific research work on groundwater and ecosystems processes will be carried out in the WPs 2 - 6. This comprises studies on water flow paths with tracers (WP2), pollutant transport and leaching processes (WP3), groundwater ecosystems (WP4), modelling (WP5), management and engineering (WP6). A WP (WP7) is devoted to integration of results and dissemination. Case study aquifers and ecosystems will be studied in different climatic regions with various land use pressures.

FIGARO, (Flexible and Precision Irrigation Platform to Improve Farm Scale Water Productivity) is a European wide research project, which aims to increase water productivity in major water-demanding crops and develop a cost-effective precision irrigation platform.

FIGARO focuses on significantly reducing the use of fresh water on farm level through developing a cost-effective, precision irrigation management platform. The European-wide consortium developed a holistic and structured precision irrigation platform, which offers farmers flexible, crop oriented management tool with DSS (Decision Supporting System) module to optimize irrigation and fertilizers dosing. The project also contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources and adaptation of agriculture to climate change.

SIRIUS addresses efficient water resource management in water-scarce environments. It focuses in particular on water for food production with the perspective of a sustainable agriculture in the context of integrated river-basin management, including drought management. It aims at developing innovative and new GMES service capacities for the user community of irrigation water management and sustainable food production, in accordance with the vision of bridging and integrating sustainable development and economic competitiveness.

SIRIUS merges two previously separate strands of activities, those under the umbrella of GMES, related to land products and services (which address water to some extent), and those conducted under FP5/6-Environment and national programs, related to EO-assisted user-driven products and services for the water and irrigation community.

As such, it will draw on existing GMES Core Services as much as possible, by integrating these products into some of the required input for the new water management services.It also makes direct use of the EO-assisted systems and services developed in the FP6 project PLEIADeS and its precursor EU or national projects, like DEMETER, IRRIMED, ERMOT, MONIDRI, AGRASER, all addressing the irrigation water and food production sectors, some of which have resulted in sustainable system implementation since 2005.

SIRIUS addresses users (water managers and food producers) at scales ranging from farm, over irrigation scheme or aquifer, to river-basins. It will provide them with maps of irrigation water requirements, crop water consumption and a range of further products for sustainable irrigation water use and management under conditions of water scarcity and drought, integrated in leading-edge participatory spatial online Decision-support systems. The SIRIUS service concept considers the economic, environmental, technical, social, and political dimensions in an integrated way.

Global warming puts high pressure on fresh water availability and is changing the components of the fresh water system. Access to fresh water is a crucial issue for many societies. Mediterranean territories already face water scarcity and Northern European territories are increasingly exposed.

AGADAPT develops and deploys methods to reduce and optimize the water usage of rainfed and irrigated agriculture by combining knowledge-based innovative technologies, modelling and transfer of technologies and innovative practices.

AGADAPT includes:
  *A demonstrator of a decision support software for the estimation of field scale irrigation needs and water demand at both field scale (irrigation scheduling) and regional scale (infrastructure, environmental impact)
  *A detailed assessment of reuse water schemes management for different regions in Europe with identification of technical,economical and social constraints which will also be increasingly exposed to water scarcity.

In the agriculture sector, farmers are already affected by water restrictions or will most probably be affected in a near future. Deficits in water supply result from the conjunction of a precipitation decrease, an increase in the climatic evaporative demand and an increasing water demand of other sectors (urban, industry). There is a need of improving irrigation scheduling tools to optimize the water use efficiency. Tools such as AGADAPT can be disseminated directly to farmers or through farmers organizations.

The overall aim of the project is to develop European scale tools for the rapid evaluation of the role that irrigation water has in the transmission of existing, new and emerging pathogens to the human population. The diverse sources of irrigation water used in the European countries (reclaimed water, superficial water, ground water and distribution water) will be characterized and critical points for the quality of irrigation water and the treatment processes will be analyzed for standard fecal bacteria, new viral indicators and existing, new and emerging water-borne microbiological risks, characterizing the population of human viruses, emerging pathogenic bacteria (including antibiotic-resistant bacteria), protozoa and cyanobacterial toxins.

The project coordinates the work, the objectives and expertise of the teams involved in 7 subprojects distributed in 4 European countries. The metagenomics techniques will provide a better understanding of the complex situation concerning bacterial/viral load in the transmission of microbial infections to the population and may be used to identify unknown risks. The final objective is to prevent epidemics and to produce the scientific bases to support the development of European/national regulation for water use for irrigation.

Partners: University of Barcelona, Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, State General Laboratory Cyprus, Research Institute of Water Engineering and Environment (IIAMA-UPV), Technische Universität München, University Rovira i Virgili

ESSENCE is an Erasmus+ project, funded for three years from December 2014, working alongside the CARPE partners. Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Turku University of Applied Sciences, and the Universitat Polytècnica de València.This exciting project will encourage the development of smart sustainable cities through the creation of an international course focusing on innovative education.

Particular attention will be given to blended learning, the use of creative tools in lessons, interdisciplinarity and entrepreneurship. MMU will host a five day ‘start up bootcamp, bringing together students from across the various European partners to develop their skills in enterprise and entrepreneurship against the background of a smart sustainable city.

I-WEB aims to support KAZNU, IKTU and KokSU to work collaboratively with business, professional body and regulatory organisations at a national and International level to develop and deliver Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) Masters and PhD programmes. The main features of I-WEB are the establishment of an International Advisory Board (lAB) consisting of KZ and EU academic partners and representatives of professional scientific and national curricula bodies. Representatives from other sectors will be invited to join the IAB as I-WEB progresses, with its role being the scoping of programme content and delivery mechanisms to be meet multi-sectorial needs.

Internal and external project and programme QA procedures will be developed and IWCM laboratories established. Selected aspects of modules will be piloted (free events for students and practitioners) and, if demand is demonstrated, CPD courses developed.

Wider objectives include meeting the practice and research needs of industry through the training of students in IWCM best practice and developing understanding of the need for and processes of stakeholder engagement. Specific objectives include develop and deliver Bologna compliant MSc and PhD programmes, training KZ staff and students in IWCM and supporting a two-way dialogue between business, regulators and policy makers.

El principal objetivo del proyecto es el desarrollo de cuentas del agua para la Demarcación Hidrográfica de las Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas (DH CMA), consistente con el estándar de Naciones Unidas “Sistema de Contabilidad Ambiental y Económica para el agua" (SCAE-Agua), así como su integración en el Plan Hidrológico de la Demarcación Hidrográfica de las Cuencas Mediterráneas Andaluzas, periodo 2015-2021. Esta Demarcación Hidrográfica incluye 16 subsistemas con muy diversas condiciones naturales y un alto grado de presión sobre los ecosistemas acuáticos. Los subsistemas (o sistemas de explotación) pueden incluir una o más cuencas hidrográficas independientes.

E²STORMED is an European project funded by the MED Programme, developed in 2013-2015 and coordinated by a group of IIAMA researchers. It contributed to improve energy efficiency in the urban water cycle and in buildings by promoting the use of innovative storm water solutions such as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in Mediterranean cities. Existing integrated management tools were improved, adapted to, and tested by Mediterranean cities, allowing a proper incorporation of energy reduction estimates in planning and decision making processes.

SuDS are common sense and simple technology, such as strategically placed beds of native plants, rain barrels, green roofs and porous surfaces for parking lots and roads. In addition to reducing energy and potable water use, the result is less water pollution from contaminated runoff, less flooding, replenished water supplies, and often more natural-looking, aesthetically pleasing cityscapes.

Transition Wheel

The E²STORMED Transition Management Wheel is a simple cyclical road map illustrating the pathways and tools available to manage in an integrated and holistic way the change from traditional types of drainage infrastructure, such as stormwater sewers, to more sustainable practices, such as green roofs and infiltration basins.

E²STORMED Tool

The E²STORMED Decision Support Tool is a software which supports the decision-making process in urban stormwater management. Using this tool, the advantages and disadvantages of different drainage scenarios can be compared and different decision criteria can be defined to choose the best option for urban stormwater management. The E²STORMED DST encourages making decisions based not only on hydraulic and financial criteria, but also on energy, environmental and social criteria.

Lead Partner

Polytechnic University of Valencia (E)

Project Partners

Grana and Maira Valleys Mountain Community (I)
Municipality of Benaguasil (E)
Municipality of Pisa (I)
Local Councils' Association (MLT)
Municipality of Hersonissos (GRE)
University of Abertay Dundee (UK)
Old Royal Capital Centinje (MNE)
City of Zagreb (CRO)

The aim of this project is to promote the integration of safety and sustainability in civil engineering education by the following five-step strategy: 1) An analysis of the needs in close consultation with all stakeholders.

2) Development of teaching moduli on safety and sustainability in civil engineering.

3) Integration of the teaching moduli in existing and new joint university curricula.

4) A pilot project, with an international exchange of professors between Universities.

5) Development of innovative ICT-based content and services.

The project will have a wide impact through an extensive dissemination of the results among stakeholders throughout Europe by informing professional organizations, European umbrella organizations and organizations dealing with education such as the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI). The development of flexible teaching moduli supported by powerful ICT services will allow exploiting the results in a wide spectrum of educational settings within higher education institutions. The project will also stimulate legislative or technical changes required to facilitate the development of joint programmes. An open community will be created, discussing learning needs in safety and sustainability in an European context, with opportunities for further exploitation.

La identificación de los productores de compuestos sápidos y las condiciones en las que se producen es actualmente uno de los retos a los que se enfrentan las personas que gestionan los sistemas de abastecimiento, debido a su bajo umbral y las limitaciones en la eliminación de 2-MIB y geosmina.

Al mismo tiempo, requieren altos costes de implantación y de operación. Cabe remarcar que esta situación se verá agravada en los próximos años a causa del cambio climático.

Se prevé que debido a la estrecha relación entre los sistemas hidrológicos y los climáticos se produzca una alteración de la comunidad fitoplanctónica y las condiciones ambientales de las masas de agua superficiales, traducida en un incremento de los compuestos sápidos.

Financiado por la AVI “Acciones Complementarias de Impulso y Fortalecimiento de la Innovación”.

Proyecto llevado a cabo mediante la cooperación de cuatro agentes del Sistema Valenciano de Innovación: ITC-AICE, IIAMA-UPV, GEA-UV y FACSA-UJI