EU approves Dutch-led research programme Subsol on protection of fresh water resources in coastal areas
The European Union has approved the Subsol-project on subsurface water technologies to protect fresh water resources from salt intrusion in coastal areas.
Subsol will be part of EU's Horizon 2020 research programme. Leading project partner KWR watercycle research institute announced the approval on 17 February.
Apart from KWR, the project includes the participation of Dutch water supply company Vitens, consultancy firm Arcadis and horticultural supplier B-E de Lier, besides eleven technology SMEs, consultants, knowledge providers and end-users from across Europe.
An underground drainage system creates an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR - in blue) of freshwater in areas with brackish groundwater (brown).
New way of groundwater management
Over the past ten years, KWR and partners have developed novel concepts to improve groundwater management and thereby significantly strengthen freshwater supply in coastal areas.
Participation in the EU Horizon 2020 programme, opens the possibility of introducing these subsurface water technologies internationally.
New field pilots
The Subsol-project foresees the continuation of ongoing demonstration projects in the Netherlands, as well as new field pilots in Denmark, Greece and the US (Florida).
Market surveys will be conducted in selected coastal regions worldwide.
Prediction of effects climate change
EU also notified to have honoured the Bingo-project. KWR is one of the participants in this new Horzion 2020 project that will study how the European water sector can be better prepared for the effects of climate change.
Bingo - bringing innovation to ongoing water management - will translate IPCC's global climate predictions to regional and local decision-making level. It also seeks to reduce the uncertainty in the predictions and to create a link with adaptation solutions from previous projects such as the recent Prepared-project.
Collaborating in the Bingo-project are members of the Aqua Research Collaboration, including LNEC (Portugal) as coordinator, NTNU (Norway), IWW (Germany) and KWR - together with other partners from Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands .
About Horizon 2020
Horizon 2020 is EU's biggest research and innovation programme ever with nearly 80 billion euro of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract.
It emphasis on excellent science, industrial leadership for more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
This news item was originally published on the website of KWR watercycle research institute.
Also read on this website
● KWR's first operational Freshmaker stores fresh water in the ground, replacing salt water, 23 July 2013
More information
KWR watercycle research institute
Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
+31 30 606 95 11
www.kwrwater.nl