DECIDEIX

Consolidation of reclaimed water as a safe and reliable source in Catalonia, improving the quality of water bodies and strengthening resilience against the impacts of climate change.

DECIDEIX provides tools to safely plan direct and indirect potable reuse schemes, proposing and applying innovative strategies to increase public acceptance of reclaimed water use.

The project improves and expands the tool developed in the SUGGEREIX project for decision-making in treatment and monitoring systems for reuse schemes. This updated and expanded tool will include both direct and indirect potable uses, as well as new protective values for reclaimed water derived from emerging legislation, through chemical and microbiological risk assessment.

Additionally, it delves into the impact on ecosystems associated with indirect potable reuse, determining the attenuation of contaminants in reclaimed water used in indirect potable systems, using the Llobregat River as a case study.

This new version of the Decision Support System (DSS) is validated through a real-life case study at the Gavà-Viladecans Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), where a direct potable reuse scheme is proposed using an innovative pilot treatment based on activated carbon filtration and advanced oxidation processes (UV/H₂O₂). The solution is also validated through its application as a decision-making tool in the design of a representative group of the new Water Reclamation Facilities planned for construction in Catalonia by 2040.

Another key aspect to be promoted during the project is the transfer and dissemination of results to reach the various stakeholder groups involved in the project, as well as the general public.

It is expected that, once the project is completed, the developed DSS and the accompanying reuse guideline will become key tools for the design, validation, and monitoring of current or future strategies aimed at promoting the use of reclaimed water.

Eurecat leads DECIDEIX through the Water, Air and Soil (WAS) Unit, which defines the quality requirements for reclaimed water for both direct and indirect potable use and its impact on aquatic ecosystems. It also contributes to the expansion of the SUGGEREIX DSS to support Catalonia’s water reuse strategies.