PREPARED – Enabling Change

Background and Goals

The PREPARED project will confirm and demonstrate the technological preparedness of water supply and sanitation systems of ten cities in Europe to adapt to the expected impacts of climate change. PREPARED will show that the water supply and sanitation systems of cities and their catchments can adapt and be resilient to the challenges of climate change; and that the technological, managerial and policy adaptation of these PREPARED cities can be cost effective, carbon efficient and exportable to other urban areas within Europe and the rest of the world.

The PREPARED project will deal with early warning systems, as well as short- and long-term response strategies for urban areas. The technological and managerial response opportunities in the project are intended to be developed in the context of environmental, social and economic perspectives. Due to the regional variability and severity of climate impact most adaptation measures will be taken at national, regional or local level.

PREPARED will

  • address issues related to the management of water, waste water and storm water that are impacted by climate change both in quantitative and qualitative aspects.
  • address many of the Pan-European problems and will optimise, test and implement adaptive solutions that will contribute towards an integrated and coordinated approach at EU level.
  • work on adaptation strategies while at the same time considering and weighting the mitigation side of solutions. What PREPARED delivers should reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the water and waste water sector.
  • improve the EU’s resilience to deal with the impact of climate change.
  • contribute to the integration of adaptation strategies into EU policies. Priority will be given to adaptation measures that will generate net social and/or economic benefits irrespective of uncertainty in future IPCC forecasts. Priority will be given to measures that are beneficial for both mitigation and adaptation.

Content time

to

Research area/region

Country
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Spain
  • Turkey
Region of implementation (all German federal states)
  • Berlin
Spatial resolution 

Århus, Denmark;

Barcelona, Spain;

Berlin, Germany;

Eindhoven, The Netherlands;

Genoa, Italy;

Gliwice, Poland;

Istanbul, Turkey;

Lisbon, Portugal;

Lyon, France;

Oslo, Norway;

Simferopol, Ukraine;

Wales

Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change

Step 1: Understand and describe climate change

Approach and results 

There has no specific climate scenario been developed: use of IPCC data on climate change

Parameter (climate signals)
  • River flooding
  • Heat waves
  • Flash floods
  • Altered rainfall patterns
  • Higher average temperatures
  • Low water
  • Extreme precipitation (incl. hail, snow)
  • Dry periods
Time horizon
  • short term = next year’s / decades
  • long term = to 2100 and beyond

Step 2a: Identify and assess risks - climate effects and impact

Approach and results 

Due to climate change Berlin for example will be faced with two different challenges:
due to decreasing precipitation (-10% until 2040) and increasing temperatures (leading to an increase in evaporation of about 2%) the discharge in the Spree catchment is predicted to decrease significantly. This will lead to a rise in treated effluent share in the city’s surface waters, especially during summer. In addition overflows of the combined sewer system (CSO) in Berlin’s city center lead to detrimental effects on urban river ecology several times per year during heavy rain events. Regional effects of global warming could change the situation through (i) increased ecosystem vulnerability from higher river temperature in summer and reduced flow and (ii) changed frequency of overflows from higher or lower occurrence of heavy rain events.

Step 3: Develop and compare measures

Measures and/or strategies 

The most significant results achieved were the demonstration of a wide range of climate change adaptation measures in practice throughout Europe. On the water supply side management systems for optimization of energy and water availability (e.g. in Genoa and Barcelona) were used to demonstrate the potential capabilities of current systems under climate change conditions and to identify the most efficient options for system improvement. On a smaller scale possibilities for enhancing the capacity of natural treatment systems were identified and tested in Barcelona yielding recommendations for improving operation and maintenance under climate change conditions.

To increase Berlin’s preparedness tools developed within PREPARED were demonstrated by the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB), the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) and KRÜGER focusing on:

  • Methodologies for biofilm formation potential in drinking water networks;
  • Software tool for semi-automated data validation tested for application with groundwater level loggers;
  • A planning instrument for combined sewer system (CSO).

Further objectives are:

  • Development of a framework characterising the current best knowledge and practice about the physical and institutional characteristics of an Adaptive Water Sensitive City (AWSC).
  • Development and application of an audit process to evaluate where cities fit with the AWSC framework.
  • Concluded and refined the framework for wider application to other case study cities.
  • Development of a Virtual Urban Water Systems software for testing many possible scenarios for realisation of AWSCs within the context of both socio-economic and physical drivers. The tool comprises of (i) the ‘Basic Engine’ that can simulate a large number of realisations of traditional water supply and sanitation systems for a given city, (ii) a Water Sensitive Urban Design, ‘WSUD Generator’ that simulates decentralised systems, and (iii) a ‘Socio-Economic Impact generator’ that simulates impacts of socio-economic scenarios on urban water system realisations.
  • Development and application and evaluation of action plans to increase the adaptivity and resilience of water and sanitation systems of partner cities.
  • Exploration of the circumstances and the (human and other) resources needed to increase adaptivity in the partner cities.
Time horizon
  • 2071–2100 (far future)

Participants

Funding / Financing 

EU: 7. Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7)

Project management 

KWR Water b.v.– The Netherlands

Cooperation/Partners 

Monash University – Australia;

Melbourne Water Corporation – Australia;

Seattle Public Utilities – USA;

DWR Cymru Welsh Water - United Kingdom;

Aarhus Water and Wastewater – Denmark;

Simferopol Drinking Water Supply and sewerage Company – Crimea;

Municipality of Oslo Water and Sewerage works – Norway;

Water Department of Greater Lyon – France;

Empresa Portuguesa das Aquas Livers, SA – Portugal;

Water Supply and Sanitation Company (PWiK – Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągówi Kanalizacji) – Poland;

Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (Istanbul Su VeKanalizasyon Idaresi ) – Turkey;

Mediterranea delle AcqueS.p.a. a Iride ACQUA Gas – Italy;

Municipality of Eindhoven – The Netherlands;

Berliner Wasserbetriebe – Germany;

Clavequeram de Barcelona– Spain;

IWW Rheinisch-Westfaelisches Institut – Germany;

Aquateam Norwegian Water Technology Centre – Norway;

Krüger – DenmarkS::can Messtechnik – Austria;

NIVUS – Germany; University of Innsbruck – Austria;

Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil – Portugal;

The Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas – Poland;

Tubitak Marmara Research Center – Turkey;

Iride Acqua Gas SpA – Italy;

Cetaqua Water Technology Center – Spain;

University of Bradford – United Kingdom;

University of Exeter – United Kingdom;

International Water Association – HQ Netherlands;

Institut National des Sciences Appliquées – France;

Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin gGmbH – Germany;

SINTEF – Norway;

DHI – Denmark;

Crimean Scientific and Research Centre – Ukraine

Contact

KWR Watercycle Research Institute
PO Box 1072
3430 BB Nieuwegein

Share:
Article:
Printer-friendly version
Fields of action:
 water regime and water management  cross sectoral