Comparative study of the methods used for treatment and final disposal of sewage sludge in European countries.

Global, regional, and country level need for data on wastewater generation, treatment, and use

Use of treated municipal wastewater in irrigated agriculture—Review of some practices in Spain and Greece

Wastewater reuse in Europe

As demand for fresh water intensifies, wastewater is frequently being seen as a valuable resource. Furthermore, wise reuse of wastewater alleviates concerns attendant with its discharge to the environment. Globally, around 20 million ha of land are irrigated with wastewater, and this is likely to increase markedly during the next few decades as water stress intensifies. In 1995, around 2.3 billion people lived in water-stressed river basins and this could increase to 3.5 billion by 2025. We review the current status of wastewater irrigation by providing an overview of the extent of the practice throughout the world and through synthesizing the current understanding of factors influencing sustainable wastewater irrigation. A theme that emerges is that wastewater irrigation is not only more common in water-stressed regions such as the Near East, but the rationale for the practice also tends to differ between the developing and developed worlds. In developing nations, the prime drivers are livelihood dependence and food security, whereas environmental agendas appear to hold greater sway in the developed world. The following were identified as areas requiring greater understanding for the long-term sustainability of wastewater irrigation: (i) accumulation of bioavailable forms of heavy metals in soils, (ii) environmental fate of organics in wastewater-irrigated soils, (iii) influence of reuse schemes on catchment hydrology, including transport of salt loads, (iv) risk models for helminth infections (pertinent to developing nations), (v) microbiological contamination risks for aquifers and surface waters, (vi) transfer efficiencies of chemical contaminants from soil to plants, (vii) health effects of chronic exposure to chemical contaminants, and (viii) strategies for engaging the public.

http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30007424/stagnitti-wastewaterirrigation-2007.pdf

Wastewater irrigation: The state of play

The status of wastewater reuse practice in the Mediterranean basin: need for guidelines

Recycled water is a reliable source of water that must be taken into account in formulating a sustainable water policy. Water reuse is a growing field and many projects have been occurring throughout Europe in the last fifteen years. Most of northern EU countries have abundant water resources. In this case, the need for extra supply through the reuse of treated wastewater is not a priority, but the protection of the receiving environment is considered as an important issue. The situation is different in the southern EU countries, where the additional resource brought by water reuse promoted the implementation of a number of new projects. One of the major constraints for water reuse and its public acceptance is the lack of relevant legislation at EU level. As a result of this situation, both strict and flexible standards can be found in Europe, even in the same country (Spain, for example), illustrating an important equity issue, which needs to be addressed.

Challenges and prospectives for water recycling and reuse in EU countries

Wastewater reclamation and reuse in Eureau countries

Foresight as a policy tool of Futures in the Making – Editorial introduction to the special issue from the FTA2018 conference

Abstract Background The role of policymaking is to create the future that we want. In its communication on Better Regulation, the European Commission recognises the need for strategic foresight to play a key role in helping to ‘future-proof’ EU policymaking. The aim is to ensure that decisions are grounded in a longer-term perspective. In times of rapid change, EU policymaking needs to have impact assessments, fitness checks and major regulatory evaluations informed by foresight. Strategic foresight is also a powerful way to engage with stakeholders and not only capture their perspectives, but also generate collective intelligence in the areas of policy interest. Lessons from EU policy making This fits within a broader effort at the Commission to be at the forefront of excellence in policymaking in Europe and worldwide. This is why the EU Policymaking Hub was launched 2020. It offers a platform for policymakers to learn, collaborate and share knowledge in EU policymaking, introducing new capacity building offers. It aims at strengthening the Commission's policymaking capacity through anticipating, developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating policies in an evidence-informed, transparent, and collaborative way with stakeholders, citizens and experts. Providing the policymaking community with a framework for long-term competence development will strengthen the profession, make it fit for the future, contribute to colleagues’ motivation and help the Commission to achieve its goals. Conclusions Being futures literate covers a range of skills from anticipation to the ability to run in-depth foresight processes. It spans a range of abilities from having an anticipatory mindset to scanning for change, understanding change and being able to influence change. Since its inception, this competence framework is at the base of an effort to train European civil servants in foresight and to increase foresight literacy for application in policymaking.

https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article-pdf/32/Supplement_3/ckac129.203/48594159/ckac129.203.pdf

L. Bontoux

Papers

The status of wastewater reuse practice in the Mediterranean basin: need for guidelines

Challenges and prospectives for water recycling and reuse in EU countries

Wastewater reclamation and reuse in Eureau countries

Foresight as a policy tool of Futures in the Making – Editorial introduction to the special issue from the FTA2018 conference

Foresight for policy – addressing the challenges for policy impact