On World Water Day on March 22nd, citizens and organizations around the world focus on the critical need to conserve and protect water – our planet’s most precious resource. This year’s theme, “Accelerating Change” requires a clear vision of where to go. One of the holistic concepts for a future vision that is becoming more and more popular is water-smartness.

But how can water-smartness be reached?

In the six Living Labs of the EU-funded research project B-WaterSmart the transformation to water-smart societies and economies in coastal Europe and beyond is aspired. Different water challenges are tackled by implementing various technical, digital and management solutions that improve the water-smartness of the cities and regions. Here is what our Living Labs have to say:

„The world around us is changing rapidly. Climate change and the energy transition bring major challenges and require innovative solutions for drinking- and process water supply in our region, Europe and the world. With the research for the reuse of COW-Water (treated process water from the dairy and milk industry) at the Edewecht site, the B-WaterSmart team is making an important contribution to protecting drinking water resources for future generations.“ – Kerstin Krömer, Strategic Asset Management, OOWV Brake, B-WaterSmart Living Lab East Frisia, Germany.

“In Bodø, we are committed to accelerating change by continuously seeking innovative solutions and embracing new technologies. As part of this commitment, we are excited to be closely following the development of smart water meters and the environmental dashboard for water utilities, through collaborative projects with local, national, and international technology developers. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we manage water resources, and we are proud to be at the forefront of these exciting developments.” – Rachelle Collette, B-WaterSmart B-WaterSmart Living Lab Bodo leader, City Development, Bodo Kommune, Norway.

“The mission of Veritas in B-WaterSmart is to create the conditions to unlock the reuse potential currently not exploited for three specific resources: industrial water reuse at municipal level, ammonia recovery from wastewater treatment plant concentrated streams at regional scale and sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Three pilot technologies by ETRA, HYDROTECH and DEPURACQUE assess the potentials for resource recovery and use, but the effectiveness of the experiments is strategically reinforced with the development of the Water and Sludge Reuse platforms at regional scale, aiming at supporting the decision-making processes of the regional participatory governance of involved stakeholders.”  – Patrizia Ragazzo, B-WaterSmart Living Lab Venice leader , Veritas, Italy.

“The Alicante Living Lab pursues transforming the Rincón de León wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory that instead of just treating wastewater recovers not only water for reuse but also energy and nutrients and therefore achieving a circular economy model.” – Ignacio Casals, B-WaterSmart Living Lab Alicante owner from Aigues de Alicante and Eric Santos, Living Lab mentor from Cetaqua, Spain.

“We are accelerating change towards a water-smarter Lisbon by promoting safe water reuse in green areas’ irrigation and in craft beer production, by certificating water efficiency in buildings, and by displaying clear urban water information to citizens. This will be achieved by delivering policy instruments and technological solutions targeted to overcome technical, economical and governance barriers.” – Maria João Rosa, B-WaterSmart Living Lab Lisbon mentor from LNEC, Portugal.

“The Living Lab in Flanders demonstrates smart water reuse solutions and pilots for alternative water sources are installed. Concepts as effluent reuse for drinking water and improved stormwater management with reuse for crop irrigation are demonstrated. In addition, a high recovery membrane solutions is used in the existing drinking water production to improve the overall robustness of the production. Finally, a model is developed that places local solutions in a regional context to assess their potential contribution to a more robust and circular water system. By close collaboration between partners from water utilities, municipalities and agriculture we develop mutual understanding and regional perspective on how work towards a water-smart society.” – Geertje Pronk, B-WaterSmart Living Lab Flanders Mentor, KWR Water Research Institute.

Water-smartness is all about using water wisely, reducing waste, and ensuring that water is used in a sustainable and responsible manner. This can be achieved through a combination of conservation efforts, innovative technology, and management solutions as are all researched within B-WaterSmart.