How SOLUCIR is supporting circular urban water management
Climate change, population growth and rising demand place increasing pressure on urban water resources. This reinforces the need to recognise the value of water and reconsider how it is supplied, used and returned to the environment. SOLUCIR is supporting this transition by examining how circular and decentralised solutions can complement existing infrastructure, reduce pressure on freshwater sources and strengthen urban water resilience.
Research by The European Commission shows that many cities still rely on open-loop systems in which water is abstracted, used, treated and discharged. It also highlights how combining wastewater reuse with leakage reduction and more efficient consumption could significantly reduce freshwater withdrawals.
SOLUCIR’s demo case in Berlin explores how these principles can be implemented in a real urban water system. The project also considers how water availability, infrastructure, treatment requirements and environmental conditions vary between locations.
Berlin’s limited natural surface-water flows have created a close relationship between its water supply and wastewater system. Longer summer droughts, changing rainfall patterns, population growth and industrial development are expected to place further pressure on this cycle.
The project will examine decentralized nature-based solutions that could treat and reuse water locally or help reinforce natural water flows. These approaches could
- Reduce dependence on freshwater abstraction
- Help to prevent the degradation of rivers, groundwater and other ecosystems.
SOLUCIR is developing tools that consider health, environmental and operational risks. Alongside these tools, digital technologies that will help operators evaluate how different water sources and infrastructure systems can work together.
