Strategic meeting at ESTIA on circular water management

Published on

Recherche | Relations entreprises | Vie du campus

On 23 and 24 June, in the midst of a heatwave affecting south-western Europe, ESTIA hosted the SudWaMa – Sustainable Water Management consortium meeting. The project addresses a common challenge across the SUDOE region: reducing demand for drinking water, improving water quality and implementing circular economy solutions in institutional buildings. For the Basque Country, this work is fully in line with our regional priorities regarding climate change adaptation, stormwater management and sustainable campus infrastructure.

Beyond coordination, these two days provided an opportunity to: Compare the regulatory frameworks in Portugal, Spain and France regarding water reuse and the circular economy.

Delve deeper into the scientific and technical core of the project as it enters its implementation phase.
Engage with local stakeholders, who shared their expectations and challenges regarding the practical roll-out of innovative water solutions.

After a year of work, the project has reached a major milestone: the finalisation of the design of the four demonstration sites. Each pilot brings a specific dimension of innovation:

  • ESTIA – Rainwater Smart Grid (UR’ZAIN)
    A fully instrumented rainwater network, incorporating flow and quality sensors, multi-stage filtration, reverse osmosis for hydrogen production, and a rain garden to promote infiltration. A unique test bed for water management based on the IoT and predictive maintenance.
  • University of Coimbra – Greywater
    Circularity A compact indoor greywater treatment unit, supplying toilets and irrigation, combined with direct wastewater metering to challenge conventional pricing models. The pilot also includes dry urinals and studies on user acceptance.
  • Canal de Isabel II – SuDS & Reuse
    Laboratory A dual system for reusing rainwater and greywater, integrated with sustainable urban drainage systems, to reduce flow peaks, improve water quality and support future urban drainage strategies.
  • BREEN – Biological treatment of blackwater
    A nature-based system combining rainwater harvesting, biological treatment of blackwater and hydroponic reuse, thereby demonstrating circularity at the interface of water, energy and food systems.

These demonstration projects are not merely technical installations: they are scientific platforms designed to generate data, validate new standards and support future circular water management policies in the SUDOE region.

We are proud to contribute to this collective effort and to position the Basque Country as a leading region for innovation in sustainable water management systems.

Back