TRUST project gears up to unveil results of water services study

European research project Transitions to the Urban Water Services of Tomorrow (TRUST) is gearing up to publish the first results of a major water study to explore the sustainability of the water services in Europe and Africa.


Speaking to edieWater, TRUST said it is continuing to focus on developing tools, technologies and management guidelines in a bid to create a “more sustainable low-carbon water future” and that its first results will be published in a report next month.

As a result TRUST says the Carbon Sensitive Urban Water Futures report will outline how water sustainability could be improved with tools such as water demand management, alternative water sources, wastewater and stormwater management.

The TRUST spokesperson added that the overarching objective of the project is to deliver “co-produced knowledge and guidance to support TRUST, enabling communities to achieve sustainable, low-carbon, cost-effective and safe water futures without compromising service quality”.

The project, which launched in May 2011, received funds of Euro6.99m from the European Commission, and is expected to complete in 2015.

Working with 30 partners in 11 different countries across Europe and Africa, the project will be carried out over the four years to develop models and methods which explain and explore the impact of different measures under real conditions. TRUST said the “most promising interventions” will then be implemented and tested in nine participating pilot cities or regions, grouped into green cities, water scarcity regions and urban metropolitan areas.

To achieve these goals, TRUST aims to develop a more sustainable range of green urban water systems, which tackle challenges such as climate change, population growth, increasing urbanisation and ageing infrastructure.

In addition, researchers from Cranfield University’s Water Science Institute have been contributing to the project, with Professor Paul Jeffrey heading up the team which is looking at policy, financing and society.

Cranfield research fellow Heather Smith explained the work is “focused on supporting the development and assessment of adaptive potential in the governance and socio-economic regimes which shape urban water provision”, adding that the team hopes “implementation work can extend into other regions, and carry on past the end of the project as well”.

More details on the project can be downloaded here.

Carys Matthews

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