Water reuse provides alternative water resources which will help address climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean and also in central and northern European countries already experiencing water stress. This was one of the conclusions of the Water Reuse congress held in Girona which additionally showcased the opportunities it affords in circularity and its potential to deliver energy and materials.
Another conclusion at the congress was that the technology is now in place for reuse, albeit there is still room for innovation in, for example, more efficient treatment systems and new water quality monitoring systems. It further pointed out that technology cannot go it alone but rather has to work hand in hand with governance and social and economic aspects to reach everyone with its full potential.
The event is widely seen as one of the preeminent forums on water reuse and is run with the support of the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP), the Catalan Cluster for sustainable water use, and the Costa Brava Girona Water Consortium (CACBGi) in conjunction with Arup and the Eurecat technology centre.
“Instead of being discharged, wastewater can be regenerated for reuse in specific applications which call for different qualities,” noted Miquel Rovira, director of Eurecat’s Sustainability Division, in his opening remarks at the congress. “They include cooling in industry, irrigation in agriculture, watering landscaped areas, street cleaning in towns and environmental uses where there is no need to achieve drinking water quality which means you save on energy.”
