LIFE & Water The EU LIFE Programme The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. Since 1992 it has co-financed innovative pilot and demonstration projects - with European added value - to improve the implementation and ongoing development of EU environment policy and legislation. There have been over 900 LIFE projects - with some 662 million euros allocated - exclusively on water. These projects have provided integrated approaches that have helped water authorities to adopt good water management solutions aimed at meeting the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive. LIFE projects have contributed with new solutions for optimising water use in different sectors; ensuring water quality; developing cost analysis methodologies and water pricing services; and up-scaling methods of monitoring and planning water resources. LIFE has also helped link water management to other policy sectors, such as agriculture and energy. LIFE has helped conserve freshwater habitats and has contributed significantly to the management of river basins and water levels, restoration of floodplains and river ecosystems, habitat connectivity, the involvement of stakeholders and improving public awareness. LIFE has also supported the fight against climate change, especially regarding water scarcity and issues around natural water hazards. Two good practice LIFE projects are profiled below, followed by a list of 14 other notable projects. Further details about all the LIFE water projects can be found in the LIFE project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/.
M A N A G I N G D R I N K I N G W A T E R
Title: WIZ - WaterIZe spatial planning: encompass future drinkwater management conditions to adapt to climate change
Title: RESTORE - Rivers: Engaging, Supporting and Transferring knOwledge for Restoration in Europe
Project number: LIFE09 ENV/IT/000056 Contact: Oberdan CEI
Contact: Environment Agency for England Antonia Scar
Email: o.cei@ingegnerietoscane.net
Email: antonia.scarr@environment-agency.gov.uk
Website: www.wiz-life.eu/
Website: www.ecrr.org/
R I V E R
Project number: LIFE09 INF/UK/000032
WIZ
RESTORE
The ‘WIZ’ project addresses the pressures on drinking water resources in southern Europe caused by urbanisation and climate change. The project has developed an approach that permits integrating urban planning and climate change in the management of water resources at local level. This approach is made up of two components:
River ecosystems throughout Europe have been affected by engineering projects for flood protection, navigation, water supply and hydroelectricity. Sustainable river restoration, which re-establishes ecosystems and their functions, serves to implement both the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive.
• A decision process that integrates a model for predicting the effects of climate change on the availability of water resources with spatial data provided by municipalities. This model gives water authorities harmonised data and a clearer picture of the water demands in an area, thus improving the validity of investment plans. • Two online platforms: - WIZ4All: Where citizens can find information about current and future water availability for specific locations, and also contribute by reporting the perceived quality of the water in their area, or any malfunctions or disservices. - WIZ4Planners: a decision-support service for local authorities and other stakeholders concerned with territorial and urban planning. It provides information related to estimates of the needs and availability of clean water, with comparisons between settlement scenarios and climatic scenarios, and also gives cost estimates for water supply infrastructure. The open-source code of the WIZ platform engine enables constant improvements to be made to the system. The project succeeded in developing a model with high potential replicability that effectively engages all local actors in the management of water resources.
The RESTORE project addressed a shortcoming in knowledge transfer in Europe on river restoration activities. The project aimed to develop a knowledge-exchange network linking policy-makers, river basin planners, practitioners and experts. The project’s main outputs were the development of the European river restoration website (www.restorerivers.eu), which is the main source of information on river restoration in Europe, and the RiverWiki, which contains information on over 500 river restoration case studies from 31 countries. These tools provide information and explanations of policy opportunities and constraints, the effectiveness of different restoration methods, design issues, and project costs and benefits. Although several river restoration networks already existed, the project established a wider European forum to support these and emerging networks. This helped identify the needs of networks and the barriers to effective operation and cooperation. A good practice guide ‘Rivers by Design’ was published for planners, developers and architects, to raise awareness of the potential to include river restoration in urban regeneration schemes. The project’s outcomes have raised the profile of river restoration work amongst policy-makers in Europe.
R E S T O R A T I O N N E T W O R K I N G
Environment
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SELECTIVE LIST – PROJECTS ON WATER Riparia-Ter
WALPHY
Recovery of riparian habitats of the Ter river in Catalonia
Design of a decision tool for hydromorphological restoration of water bodies in Walloon Region
Beneficiary: CONSORCI ALBA-TER, local authority
Beneficiary: Service Public de Wallonie www.liferipariater.com/
LIFE08 NAT/E/000072
www.walphy.be/
LIFE07 ENV/B/000038
Raised Bogs
WATER CHANGE
Development of good practice in active raised bog habitat restoration in Latvia
Medium and long term water resources modelling as a tool for planning and global change adaptation. Application to the Llobregat Basin
Beneficiary: University of Latvia
www.purvi.lv/
Beneficiary: CETAQUA, Centro Tecnológico del Agua
LIFE08 NAT/LV/000449
www.life-waterchange.eu/
LIFE07 ENV/E/000845
LIFE Obere Drau II
A.S.A.P.
Demonstration of successfully meeting water engineering, flood protection and nature conservation objectives
Actions for systemic aquifer protection: implementation and demonstration of a Protocol to scale down groundwater vulnerability to pollution due to overexploitation
Beneficiary: Bundeswasserbauverwaltung vertreten durch das Amt der Kärnter Landesregierung www.life-drau.at/
LIFE06 NAT/A/000127
Beneficiary: ACQUE S.p.A. www.klink.it/gate/asap
LIFE06 ENV/IT/000255
STREAM
PALM
Improvement of the status of urban and rural river environments and floodplains
Pump And Leakage Management
Beneficiary: English Nature, national authority
LIFE05 NAT/UK/000143
Beneficiary: SGI Studio Galli Ingegneria SpA
www.leakagemanagement.eu/
LIFE09 ENV/IT/000136
Life Grote Nete
AQUAVAL
Restoration of the lowland river system ‘Grote Nete’
Sustainable Urban Water Management Plans, promoting SUDS and considering Climate Change, in the Province of Valencia
Beneficiary: Natuurpunt Beheer v.z.w.
Beneficiary: Ayuntamiento de Xàtiva www.life-grotenete.be/
LIFE05 NAT/B/000090
WATER Cyprus
Restoration of the natural river and floodplain dynamics Beneficiary: Stadt Hamm, Umweltamt
Strengthening the scientific foundation of water quality programs
www.hamm.de/lifeplusprojekt.html
www.life-water.eu/
LIFE05 NAT/D/000057
Beneficiary: Environment Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment LIFE08 ENV/CY/000460
Kokemäenjoki-LIFE
ArtWet
Improved wetland habitat with indirect benefits in reducing flood risks
Mitigation of agricultural nonpoint-source pesticide pollution and phytoremediation in artificial wetland ecosystems
www.ymparisto.fi/ kokemaenjokiLIFE
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LIFE08 ENV/E/000099
Lippe-Aue
Beneficiary: Centre of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for South-western Finland
© European Union, 2015
www.aquavalproject.eu
LIFE06 NAT/FIN/000129
Beneficiary: ENGEES (Ecole Nationale de Genie de l’Eau et de l’Environnement de Strasbourg) LIFE06 ENV/F/000133
Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life
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