Keeping things flowing

Since 1981, the European Water Association has been the main focus point for water issues in Europe, covering the sector from wastewater to drinking water and water-related waste. The organization provides a forum for its 25 member associations to discuss key technical and policy issues, and represents about 55,000 professional individuals working in water management.

Europe has certainly seen its fair share of unpredictable weather over the last few years. With droughts one minute and floods the next, many are pointing the finger of blame at global warming, and while there is still some reluctance on the part of the authorities to attribute any specific event to climate change, an increasing number of experts have no doubt that global warming is contributing – in some form or another – to the freak weather experienced over the past few years.

The EWA is one such body of experts, and has been proactive in promoting the possible effects of climate change for a number of years. The majority of its member associations are already tackling the issue and its subsequent problems, and the EWA is providing leadership in this area through the formation of a working group on climate change and participation in the European Strategic Steering Group on Climate Change and Water in Brussels. The impact of global warming on Europe’s water infrastructures is very much on the agenda.

And it needs to be. Since the 1970s, the situation regarding water scarcity in Europe has been getting progressively worse and has cost the European economy as least €100 billion. Back in 2003, parts of Europe experienced a particularly severe and widespread drought that affected over 100 million people, covered about a third of the EU land area and cost approximately €8.7 billion. For many, climate change and water scarcity go hand in hand, and the EWA acknowledges that it is an area of concern. However, according to Johannes Lohaus, Secretary General of the association, climate change isn’t the only factor.

“The most significant problems I see are land-use and water handling,” informs Lohaus. “For instance, water use in agriculture is a central problem. Here, water saving measures for irrigation have to be applied more frequently. Water consumption for households and industry can still be drastically reduced in many European countries. I am especially supportive of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) approach of cost-recovery for water services – this stops wasting precious resources and leads to a rethink amongst the general public. Regarding droughts, land-use has a huge impact and can also contribute to worsen the situation. Unlike the situation regarding climate change, land-use is a field where action can be taken on a regional level to improve matters – for instance, work to drastically improve the soil conditions can have a big impact.”

From one extreme to another

In stark contrast to droughts, this year has also seen parts of Europe submerged in devastating floods. The UK has been the latest to bear the full brunt of Mother Nature’s wrath – at an estimated cost of €2.8 billion – but severe flooding has also hit communities in Austria, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, Germany and the Czech Republic over the past few years. While flooding is nothing new, Lohaus concedes there is a good chance the intensity and frequency could increase unless action is taken to halt adverse human impacts on climate. “We’ve always had to face flooding,” he says, “but the effects of climate change may significantly worsen the threat of flooding.”

The EWA has outlined a number of measures, which might be helpful in mitigating the effects of floods in the future. “Some of the things that need to be done include protecting the natural areas of retention and, if possible, taking restoration measures,” advises Lohaus. “The construction of building in flood-risk areas also needs to cease. To help with this, there needs to an elaboration of flood-risk maps in order to improve information exchange and give local populations and industry the opportunity to inform themselves and to take precautionary measures. Finally, we need to take structural measures and apply innovative solutions (such as mobile protection systems) to deal with peak floods.”

Technologies and innovations

Of course, dealing with issues of water scarcity and flood defence is only part of the EWA’s remit; water quality is another key area of work, and in this regard Lohaus identifies a number of technologies that are coming to the forefront and helping to improve the quality of water throughout Europe. The first of these is membrane technology, which can contribute to considerable improvements in the operation of wastewater treatment plants. Although there are many benefits with the technology, including better removal of contaminates and higher efficiency, there are disadvantages – including cost. “Unfortunately, this technology is much more energy-intensive than conventional wastewater treatment, and is therefore disadvantageous regarding climate change,” highlights Lohaus. “Membrane technology is also quite cost-intensive. Having a look around Europe, and especially at the new EU accession countries, the main goal is to implement the current applicable EU Urban Waste Water Directive on a Europe-wide basis before thinking about even more sophisticated measures.”

Pollution is a serious threat to water supply, therefore safeguarding against any contamination is of critical importance. The deployment of new policies that thwart this threat is likely to be revolutionary in helping to deliver cleaner and safer water “Pollution has to be avoided at its source,” advises Lohaus. “This applies for industry and manufacturing. The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive will lead to improvements in the long run. Best Available Techniques (BAT) have to be adjusted to the technical progress. Another important issue is minimization of non-point pollution from agriculture. Pesticides and fertilizer are a threat to surface and groundwaters.”

An important aim discussed by Lohaus is the need to further develop holistic approaches. The new EWA working group on River Continuity is an initiative that, amongst other things, acts as a European competency centre for all river continuity and fish passage issues. “Point sources become less important than diffuse pollution regarding contamination loads, therefore the nitrates directive has to find its way into reality. Furthermore, aspects of river morphology gain more and more in importance. Water quality is often good, but migration of fish and other aquatic organisms is nonetheless hindered because water management structures present obstacles (dams and weirs) and continuity of rivers is interrupted.”

In addition to these issues, a further development associated with water in the EU concerns the Water Framework Directive. Although this is a regulation that Europe can be proud of on an international scale, there are many ambitious goals to be met by 2015. “This is what water management in Europe is now concentrating on,” explains Lohaus. “To meet the environmental objectives will be a task that we have to deal with in the years to come. At the same time, new challenges in connection with climate change have to be coped with. Ensuring sustainable energy supply will play a vital part in this, and cultivation of energy crops is continuously growing. Despite all the positive aspects this development implicates, we cannot ignore the negative impacts on soil and water protection.”

“The main goal for new accession countries is to implement the current applicable EU Urban Waste Water Directive before thinking about even more sophisticated measures”