Water Academies 2022

WATER REUSE WORKSHOP Use of reclaimed water in agriculture

Water scarcity is a multi-dimensional challenge whose solution requires the coordination of different actors moving towards more sustainable water management.

The use of non-conventional resources such as reclaimed/recycled water is gaining importance especially in agriculture as a climate change mitigation strategy. Water reuse implies economic, social and environmental benefits but there are still important barriers for implementation.

The new EU Regulation on water reuse shall be an incentive for safe practice based on common standards in the whole EU, but there is a need to acquire the necessary knowledge for proper adaptation.

The hybrid workshop held in Malaga on July 6^th is intended to increase competences and skills of the audience to advance in the implementation of water reuse in agriculture. It will be a multi-disciplinary event with high-profile speakers who will provide practical insights on the most relevant topics for water reuse such as socio-economic aspects, adequate technologies for water reclamation, risk management and practical recommendations for farmers. The workshop will include a field visit to an experimental site of sub-tropical crops irrigated with reclaimed water.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Water is essential for human health, socioeconomic development, and the provision of long-term environmental services. Natural processes (e.g. precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, condensation, etc.) sustain a large cycle in nature, which is disrupted by urbanization and man-made water systems. As a result, water has been forced into the linear model of “take-make-consume-dispose,” which is economically unsustainable and results in a gradual degradation of water quality as it passes through the system. The move to circular water systems necessitates a rethinking of water infrastructure, the application of cutting-edge technology, and the integration of nature-based ecosystems into grey infrastructure (i.e. hybrid infrastructure). Nature-based solutions (NBS) can be thought of as a catch-all term for addressing the above-mentioned challenges in a more sustainable way, compared to conventional hard engineering. NBS are systemic initiatives that bring more and more diversified natural characteristics and processes into the environment. They solve a single problem (i.e. societal challenge) or a set of problems (i.e. multiple challenges) while also providing environmental, social, and economic advantages, such as biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience, human well-being, and so on.

The workshop held in Marathon Dam (Greece) on July 22nd, 2022 is intended to increase the competencies and skills of the audience to advance the understanding and integration of NBS in urban water management. It will be a multi-disciplinary event with high-profile speakers who will provide practical insights on the most relevant topics for NBS such as the role of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus, socio-economic aspects, best practices, protection and restoration of environment services in a water catchment, adequate technologies for water reclamation, risk management and practical recommendations for water resources managers.  The workshop will include a field visit to the Marathon Dam, which is the primary water supply of Athens. The dam is famous for being the first recorded occurrence of seismic activity related with reservoir inundation, as well as its importance in Greece’s industrialization.

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES WORKSHOP

The workshop on water efficiency in the manufacturing industry will be held at TU Delft Campus – Teaching Lab on October 14^th. The main objective of the workshop is to share experience and ideas on how the manufacturing industry can overcome water efficiency challenges in a sustainable manner. The workshop consists of presentations from different water experts, a panel discussion on Industrial water stewardship and application and a Q&A. The session will be hybrid and can be followed online (except for the excursion).

ON-LINE COURSE (MOOC)

Water is the most precious and vital resource for humans and the ecosystem. Water is seriously threatened by climate change as well as by the excessive withdrawal of industries, agriculture, cities. Waste, pollution, commodification and growing population have intensified the water scarcity, especially in some countries bordering the Mediterranean. To power education three capacity-building trainings have been organised in Greece, Spain and the Netherlands with the aim of stimulating a learning environment based on the latest findings, solutions and alternatives related to water scarcity. The trainings on “Reuse in agriculture”, “Urban water management and the role of nature-based solutions” and “water efficiency in the manufacturing industry” have been followed up by a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on water scarcity, based on these trainings.
The MOOC has as main learning outcomes to (1) analyse and evaluate processes in the (urban) water management related to water scarcity, (2) describe water infrastructure that can alleviate water scarcity, and (3) make preliminary calculations for dimensioning these infrastructures. The MOOC consists of three modules, based on the earlier mentioned trainings, including an introduction, eventually extended with knowledge clips, quizzes and exercises.