More details on the projects listed below can be found in the database at the EU’s DG Environment LIFE website:
(http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm)
- Demonstration of a MULTIBARRIER as a sustainable approach for the prevention of groundwater contamination by leaking landfills and multipollutant contaminated sites : a cheap alternative to landfill reinstallation and/or leachate treatment (Project ENV/B/000359
The objective of the project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a multifunctional permeable barrier named ‘MULTIBARRIER’, which combines different principles of barrier technology, namely the removal of pollutants based on both physico-chemical and biological activities in order to treat plumes with mixed pollutants. The project aims to prove that the technology is an alternative to landfill leachate treatment and can offer more economical means of preventing the risk of groundwater contamination than landfill remediation or re-installation. MULTIBARRIER technology will be applied at field scale in Belgium and Austria – two regions of Europe with completely different hydro-geological characteristics, solid-waste composition and operating conditions.
- Treatment and re-use of urban stormwater runoff by innovative technologies for removal of pollutants (Project ENV/DK/000229)
The project aims at demonstrating technologies that efficiently reduce diffuse urban pollutant loads onto receiving waters. With respect to pollutant loads from households and industries there are effective technologies while tackling pollution from urban run-off waters is not largely addressed. Especially phosphorus and toxic substances and their removal from the urban run-off waters will be addressed. The project aims at reducing the outflow of toxic substances, mainly heavy metals and organic micropollutants, originating and charged with stormwaters in urban areas, by 80-90 %. The technologies used present robust and technically simple interventions, which should be easily adopted in the existing urban land-use structures. The pilot activities will be run in three different urban structures in Aarhus, Odense and Silkeborg.
- Water resources management in cooperation with argriculture. Compilation and implementation of integrative programmes of measures according to the WFD to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture. (Project ENV/D/000182)
The project aims to set up new participation methods and technologies to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture and to promote sustainable water resource management. It will demonstrate how the policy objectives of the Sixth Environment Action Programme can be achieved through cooperative action at the local river catchments and farm level. It will subsequently show how agricultural assistance programmes can be amended to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and that synergy actions can be used to increase cost-efficiency. Benefiting Regions are Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) in Germany and South West England in the UK.
Further information and downloads can be found on two websites:
The German website: (http//www.wagrico.de)
The UK website: (http://www.wagrico.org)
- Collaborative Technological Platform for implementation for WFD within agricultural context (Project ENV/F/000132)
The project’s main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of a collaborative technological platform (CTP). This aims to support the integrative management of agriculture and reduce its impacts on water and the related aquatic ecosystems of the Gascogne river basin in the Adour-Garonne district, in accordance with the WFD requirements.
The CTP will deliver mitigation measures against several agricultural pressures, as well as an action programme for large-scale cropping, involving key actors such as administrative officials, scientists, political and community leaders, cooperatives and agricultural organisations. The CTP includes a high-tech toolbox to simulate and evaluate mitigation measures through a web-based and multi-institutional collaborative management system. The project should result in significant decreases of nitrate and pesticide concentrations in surface water.
- Improved management of nitrate pollution in water using isotopic monitoring, ISONITRATE (Project ENV/F/000158)
Using isotopes to obtain accurate data on nitrate sources and the impact of nitrate pollution has been shown to be very effective. The objective of ISONITRATE is to demonstrate the technical/economical feasibility of integrating isotope use into management plans for river basins.
- Mitigation of agricultural nonpoint-source pesticide pollution and phytoremediation in artificial wetland ecosystems - ARTWET (Project ENV/F/000133)
ARTWET focuses on establishing low-cost vegetated treatment systems (biological systems) to reduce the risk of agricultural non point-source (NPS) pesticide pollution in surface water. The objective of the project is to implement the water framework 2000/60/EC and reach required improvements to water quality by 2015.Vegetated ditches, natural and constructed wetlands and forest plots will be used as demonstration sites. The project proposes a set of pilot scale solutions applicable in the European Union and will provide technical guidance on minimising the risk of NPS pesticide pollution. The technological knowledge acquired through the project will be disseminated through conferences, training course, databases and websites with the aid of the ARTWET coordinator ENGEES (engineering school of the French Ministry for Agriculture) and the project’s partners.
- Risk based reduction of microbial pollution discharge to coastal waters (Project ENV/F/000136)
The project covers the management and treatment of wastewater discharged to the sea and aims to prevent infectious diseases. The microbial seawater quality plays a key role in the sustainable development of costal areas. For the 40 km of coast covered, the project should immediately result in a 20 % reduction of point source pollution rising to 70 % with the application of the long-term plan. The project aims to further integrate pollution management into development plans. This will yield long-term economic benefits and avoid conflicts surrounding responsibility for pollution. At an EU level, the MARECLEAN method will be available for conducting the risk assessment of faecal pollution in coastal areas, creating a local consensus on solutions and optimising environmental and economical benefits.
It will be transferable to the 20 coastal states of the European Union, especially those that border the Atlantic and North Sea. The project will also add to knowledge of faecal pollution transfer.
- Actions for systemic aquifer protection: implementation and demonstration of a protocol to scale down groundwater vulnerability to pollution due to overexploitation (Project ENV/IT/000255)
The project aims to demonstrate the economical and technical viability of a procedure for preventing the overexploitation of groundwater systems. This is to be achieved through an integrated approach to optimising networks that combines technologies such as leak detectors, GIS and modelling systems and simulators.
Extraction from the demonstration system will be reduced by 10% and the current decline in the water level reversed from -0.5 m/year to +0.5 m/year, so that it recovers its year 2000 level. The project will seek to reduce the probability of low-quality water and pollutants migrating into freshwater as a consequence of changes in groundwater flow patterns from adjacent systems. Pumping will be reduced as far as possible without compromising the quality of water even in times with strong seasonal fluctuations in demand.
- Wastewater & Effluent Treatment (Project ENV/NL/000167)
The implementation of the Water Framework Directive policy to achieve a good chemical water status will lead Europe into a new phase of municipal wastewater treatment. Current techniques for the treatment of municipal wastewater are not designed to remove the priority substances mentioned in the WFD. The removal of the priority substances is possible through the use of a combination of innovative techniques. The combinations will be demonstrated on a full scale installation by the Dutch Water Board of Rijnland (HHR) and the Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA).
The goal is to achieve the required water quality long before the deadline set by the WFD using these innovative and highly economical post-treatment technologies. These WFD-standards are to be met by 2015. However, plans for achieving these standards must be ready by 2009. The objectives of the project are to demonstrate the technical feasibility of:
- The removal of dissolved organic compounds using coagulants in WWTP-effluent.
- The simultaneous removal from WWTP-effluent of nitrate and phosphate in a filter bed.
- The use of activated carbon in granular (GAC) or powdered (PAC) form in WWTP-effluent.
- The application of advanced oxidation on municipal WWTP-effluent.
- Bio filtration at extremely low substrate-concentrations.
- Managed realignment moving towards Water Framework objectives (Project ENV/UK/000401)
The aim of the project is to identify appropriate indicators and measures that ensure that managed realignments in estuaries do not go against the objectives of the WFD. Monitoring arrangements at existing managed realignment sites (MRSs) in Europe will be reviewed. In partnership with managers of realignments in estuaries, the project will determine methods necessary to promote a good status of transitional waters. Furthermore, guidelines will be developed and disseminated for experts creating and managing realignment.
