Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MULTISOURCE (ModULar Tools for Integrating enhanced natural treatment SOlutions in URban water CyclEs)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-12-01 do 2024-05-31
Increasing urbanization poses challenges, including water scarcity, insecurity, and loss of ecosystem services. By 2050, half the world will live in cities, relying on infrastructure that transfers water over long distances. In light of the increasing pressure on water resources worldwide, integrating decentralized approaches into existing infrastructure is essential for sustainable, efficient water resource management and reuse, establishing a circular water economy. Urban surface and groundwater are polluted, affecting quality of life, ecology, and land values. Chemical and biological hazards from inadequately treated water are growing concerns, especially with micropollutants and microplastics. Nature-Based Solutions for Water Treatment (NBSWT) can complement grey infrastructure in urban environments, providing improved water quality, flood risk reduction, ecological connectivity, and attractive urban landscapes. Despite NBSWT's potential, large-scale integration remains limited, as seen in the European Green Deal. Decision-makers often lack strategic tools, and technical knowledge gaps exist about system performance and response to climatic fluctuations. From an economic perspective, financing to stimulate rapid uptake of NBSWT must look beyond private sector investment and towards spatial planning, regulation, and tax incentives. Tailored urban water management scenarios and frameworks are needed to help private stakeholders implement NBSWT citywide.
MULTISOURCE aims to demonstrate enhanced natural treatment systems for urban water and develop innovative tools, methods, and business models that support citywide NBSWT planning. Its objectives include delivering new knowledge on contaminant removal, co-creating demand-driven tools, developing policy recommendations, mainstreaming gender inclusivity, and overcoming barriers to sustainable urban water management.
MULTISOURCE aims to demonstrate enhanced natural treatment systems for urban water and develop innovative tools, methods, and business models that support citywide NBSWT planning. Its objectives include delivering new knowledge on contaminant removal, co-creating demand-driven tools, developing policy recommendations, mainstreaming gender inclusivity, and overcoming barriers to sustainable urban water management.
During the first 36 months of MULTISOURCE, monitoring of seven technical NBSWT pilots has been completed, including identification of measurable co-benefits, target and non-target screening for micropollutants and microplastics (MS07). For most systems, two years of monitoring exist (MS10), which are now being processed for risk assessment. This has led to the production of an international knowledge base on NBSWT and ENTS (D4.2) The MULTISOURCE Selection tool, for both the Selection and Design decision making levels has been tested iteratively during this period, with final work continuing in the last reporting period. The Selection Tool has been put online earlier than expected in the work plan (March 2024) which has allowed ICRA to collect useful users’ feedbacks (MS13). Additionally, a methodology to map urban archetypes at block-level has been developed that is set up in a modular manner to incorporate different and interchangeable data sources (D5.2). A hydraulic disconnection module has been developed and tested (MS16). The foundation for integrating the needs and interests of relevant stakeholders into all core activities across MULTISOURCE has also been developed (D3.1). Urban actors can also now access to relevant business models for integrating NBS into their cities (D3.3). The international advisory board, municipality partners, and international partners have been integrated into the project according to the integration roadmaps created in RP1 (D6.3). Two policy briefs have been published (D7.3+D7.5); the project website is complete (MS22), and the communications team is actively promoting project activities, events, and outcomes on social media.
Expected results by the end of the project:
• demonstrate the pollutant removal and risk abatement capacities of enhanced natural treatment systems, as well as the ecosystem benefits and values they provide;
• enable stakeholders in developed and developing countries, including local municipality and metropolitan areas government staff, to reduce pressure on existing infrastructure and freshwater resources by using MULTISOURCE tools to plan, finance, and implement NBSWT in their region;
• accelerate the uptake of nature-based solutions in urban water management worldwide;
• normalize social equality as an integral target of green infrastructure and smart urban development;
• enhance cross-sectoral international collaboration among governmental staff (both practitioners and policy makers), educators, researchers, and the general public.
Main exploitable results so far include several outputs in RP2 : The seven NBS pilots were monitored for global wastewater parameters, microplastics, and pathogens, and an associated risk assessment of pilot effluent was completed (D2.2). Business models for NBS were created and published in a reference handbook entitled “Financing and O&M Best Practices” (D3.1) along with cost-benefit functions (D3.2) and descriptions of new business models and technical design guidelines (D3.3). The establishment of an international knowledge based on nature-based solutions for water treatment was completed (D4.2) and progress on the 28-chapter open-access textbook on the fundamentals, design, operations and maintenance was made (progress towards D4.5). Additionally, a scientific article on the LCA method and its application on real case studies was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. In terms of the planning platform, urban archetype maps were developed (M5.1) and urban regions disconnected from sewer were characterized (D5.2) leading to the development of new alternative urban water management scenarios (D5.2). Increased activities with international partners and international advisory board members were summarized in a mid-term report (M6.3). Additionally, two policy briefs were published (D7.3 D7.5).
• demonstrate the pollutant removal and risk abatement capacities of enhanced natural treatment systems, as well as the ecosystem benefits and values they provide;
• enable stakeholders in developed and developing countries, including local municipality and metropolitan areas government staff, to reduce pressure on existing infrastructure and freshwater resources by using MULTISOURCE tools to plan, finance, and implement NBSWT in their region;
• accelerate the uptake of nature-based solutions in urban water management worldwide;
• normalize social equality as an integral target of green infrastructure and smart urban development;
• enhance cross-sectoral international collaboration among governmental staff (both practitioners and policy makers), educators, researchers, and the general public.
Main exploitable results so far include several outputs in RP2 : The seven NBS pilots were monitored for global wastewater parameters, microplastics, and pathogens, and an associated risk assessment of pilot effluent was completed (D2.2). Business models for NBS were created and published in a reference handbook entitled “Financing and O&M Best Practices” (D3.1) along with cost-benefit functions (D3.2) and descriptions of new business models and technical design guidelines (D3.3). The establishment of an international knowledge based on nature-based solutions for water treatment was completed (D4.2) and progress on the 28-chapter open-access textbook on the fundamentals, design, operations and maintenance was made (progress towards D4.5). Additionally, a scientific article on the LCA method and its application on real case studies was submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. In terms of the planning platform, urban archetype maps were developed (M5.1) and urban regions disconnected from sewer were characterized (D5.2) leading to the development of new alternative urban water management scenarios (D5.2). Increased activities with international partners and international advisory board members were summarized in a mid-term report (M6.3). Additionally, two policy briefs were published (D7.3 D7.5).