The international project AQUARES, co-financed by European Union funds under the Interreg Europe Program, was launched in the Murcia Region of Spain (Murcia Region as a lead partner of the project) in the beginning of June 2018. A total of 10 organizations from 9 EU countries are involved in the project.
Apart from the Murcia Region, the project is represented by representatives from Greece, Poland, Malta, Italy, Germany, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Czech Republic.
The objective of the AQUARES project is to improve policy tools and water management concepts by integrating wastewater reuse into national, regional and local development plans to promote the efficient use of wastewater resources.
The project will increase the ability of public authorities to propose legislative changes concerning the water and drinking water framework directives. The project also puts emphasis on best practices to ensure compliance with water quality standards and promotes the adoption of sustainable development and eco-innovation in agriculture, industry, urban and recreational areas. Last but not least, the project draws on the experience of partner countries through the adoption of technological and managerial innovations in the area of water reuse in various sectors.
The project is implemented in two phases. In the first phase of the project (from 2018 to 2020), key project activities will be implemented. From 2021 to 2022, in the second verification phase of the project, these proposed improvements will be tested and monitored by target group representatives. The AQUARES project consortium partners will not only monitor and test identified water reuse practices in the second phase, but will also inform the relevant European institutions about the implementation and usefulness of project results.
The AQUARES project is 85% co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg Europe Program.
At present, the project partners are preparing for a second project meeting and the first international workshop, to be held between the 27-29 March 2019, in Milan on water recycling technologies organized by the Lombardy Environmental Foundation (FLA). The methodology for assessing technologies and practices for water reuse is also being prepared by the Institute of European and Mediterranean Waters from Spain. Part of the methodology is a questionnaire distributed by the project partners among their target groups, and the obtained data will use RRA PK to create an Application Guide for water reuse technology.
As part of the project activities, meetings and seminars will be held both for representatives of companies and for the general public. Should anyone be interested in attending these meetings, information on dates and venues, please send an email on info-energywateragency@gov.mt. For further information on the project, please view either the project website,or the project page on the Energy and Water Agency’s website
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