The water sector in coastal areas is facing a couple of challenges such as water scarcity and increasing water demands due to climate change and economic and population growth. This can lead to overexploitation of resources, quality deterioration and regional imbalances in the availability of water resources. To tackle these challenges, the European research project building a water-smart society and economy, short B-WaterSmart, develops and demonstrates smart technologies and circular economy approaches.

In order to implement those solutions more strongly in the practice of the water sector, technical and digital solutions as well as new business models are jointly developed by the project partners. The aim is to accelerate the transformation to water-smart economies and societies in coastal Europe and beyond by reducing the use of freshwater resources, improving the recovery and reuse of resources, and increase water use efficiency.

“This project has a lighthouse character. We consider the water cycle to be a holistic system of nature, technology and society. In cooperation with various interest groups, innovative solutions are co-developed and tested at six sites, called Living Labs, spread across Europe. These are intended to support water companies and municipalities in making their water systems and services sustainable, water-smart and more resilient to climate change,” explains project coordinator David Schwesig.

The research therefore is based on specific problems in six European coastal cities and regions that have great ambitions to tackle their challenges and opportunities by implementing water-smart technology and management solutions. Water companies from Alicante in Spain, Bodø in Norway, Flanders in Belgium, Lisbon in Portugal, East Frisia in Germany and Venice in Italy develop and demonstrate solutions as Living Labs, together with research partners and local technology providers.