Short Form: | URBAN_WFTP |
Full name: | Introduction of water footprint (WFTP) approach in urban area to monitor, evaluate and improve the water use |
Priority: | Environment |
Area of Intervention: | 3.4 Supporting Environmentally Friendly Technologies and Activities |
Duration: | November 2012 – November 2014 (25 months) |
Total budget: ERDF contribution: |
€ 1.583.739,20 € 1.240.031,98 |
Partnership: |
Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova (Veneto, IT), Giacomo Rumor Foundation 39 Productivity Center (Veneto, IT), MUNICIPALITY OF VICENZA (Veneto, IT), Unit for Environmental Engineering, University of Innsbruck (Tirol, AT), alpS Ltd. (Tirol, AT), INNOVA Észak-Alföld Regional Development and Innovation Agency Nonprofit Ltd. (Eszak-Alfold, HU), Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Györ-Moson-Sopron County (Nyugat-Dunantul, HU), Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Dolnoslaskie, PL), Municipal Water and Sewage Company S.A. in Wroclaw (Dolnoslaskie, PL) |
Lead partner: | Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padova (Veneto, IT) |
Lead partner country: | Italy |
DESCRIPTION
URBAN_WFTP – Description
Climate change, a growing world population, and industrial pollution are only some of the factors leading to an increased debate on the availability of fresh water for our future. The European Union recognised water to be a key resource for the sustainable development of its countries and is setting specific measures and directives to support the diffusion of eco-friendly technologies and practices. As over 75% percent of the European population live in urbanised areas, there is a need to act at urban level with regards to both behaviour and technologies in view of European water policy.
The project URBAN WFTP focuses on water supply network management in urbanised areas with an open potential to improve currently used technologies and integrate innovative tools for monitoring, managing water networks, quality of water assuring along time and waste water’s treatments. In order to achieve this goal, the Water Footprint approach represents an option for better water management and use of water. The project involves nine partners coming from five countries, including universities experienced in the application of Water Footprint approach, municipalities able to set local policies and development strategies as well as companies experienced in water management organisation, specialised in technology transfer and dissemination.
OBJECTIVES
URBAN_WFTP – Objectives
The URBAN WFTP project focuses on water management in urban areas. The use and promotion of the Water Footprint approach will be discussed and evaluated. A core objective of the project is to develop a transnational approach for evaluating the water use and the conservation of water resources in urban areas.
The goal of joint project activities is to support
· environmentally friendly activities in urban areas
· environmentally friendly technologies
· exchange of experience on the water management issues
· promotion of transnational incentives for water eco-innovations
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
URBAN_WFTP – Expected Result
The project will contribute to the implementation of environmentally friendly activities in central Europe. Promoting the application of the Water Footprint approach will enable municipalities to better define environmentally friendly policies, plans and strategies by quantifying the environmental benefits of the introduction of new technologies and activities. By supporting the environmentally friendly technologies again via using the Water Footprint approach the most effective technologies and practices can be identified in urban areas.
Moreover, through close cooperation of partners and an intensive exchange of know-how the diffusion and the use of environmentally friendly technologies for local and regional suppliers of infrastructure will be guaranteed. The transnational definition of common strategies will contribute to promote transnational incentives (awarding schemes, best-practice web-platforms, certificate) for water eco-innovations.
ACTIVITIES
URBAN_WFTP – Activities
Summary of activities:
The Central Europe project URBAN_WFTP is focused on private and commercial use of water and aims to develop a Central Europe common approach for evaluating the water use and the preservation of water resources in Urban Areas. URBAN_WFTP projct started on November 2012 and will last 25 months till November 2014: during this time project partners aim to introduce Water Footprint Approach in Central Europe urban areas as this approach represent the better way to manage and use water. This instrument supports at best decision making processes with data and information about water management and use. The common approach has been applied in 3 different Urban Areas ibn order to test its efficacy: Italy, Austria and Poland. The final objectives of the project are: activate technology, procedures, practices and transfer processes; evaluate the effects of new eco-technologies and eco-behaviours in Urban areas.
URBAN_WFTP activities and results are: 1) definition of WFTP approach in 3 urban areas and sharing of results and outcomes; 2) application and test of WFTP approach in 3 Municipalities of Central Europe (Vicenza, Innsbruck and Wroclaw) and sharing of experiences among partners; 3) activation of 3 WFTP Lab to manage WFTP improvement plans and sharing of methodologies; 4) definition of a standardized CE WFTP approach applicable in other urban areas: 5) put the basis for the implementation of other WFTP Labs in CE countries after the end of the project; 6) identification of best practices, procedures and technology for a better use and management of water. At the moment Project Partners elaborated the structure of the model for the application of the Water Footprint Indicator to the urban context. The model has been structured in 3 levels: Model A, that gives a global overview, the model B, that distinguishes the contribution of the different land uses to the global water useof the different typologies of buildings that are presented in the city.There is a forth-transversal part of the model, the Virtual Water model, which studies the water trade related to the products consumed and produced into the city.The model A has been applied to each UWFL.Moreover a Water Footprint Lab guide has been created. Outputs: 3.2.2: Report with the analysis of the 3 urban water footprint areas.3.3.3: the results of the global water footprint assessment were reported in three different reports. 3.4.1: definition of 6 different scenarios for understanding how the Water Footprint of each UWFL can change in function of different aspects.
All the results have been reported in a Sensitivity analysis report.3.5.2-3.5.4:LP, PP5 and PP9 studied WFTP approach at different levels;3.5.4:All these approaches are reported in a Guideline.3.6.1: collection of information on water-actors in the different countries;3.6.2: creation of a specific database of CE water actors.