Related EU Projects

LIFE AERFIT aims to demonstrate an innovative adaptation technology to prevent damage from urban pluvial flooding. The main objective is to prove that FHVI is an effective adaptation strategy. In this regard, through the project’s actions and applications, the two main objectives are:

•To provide sound evidence of the effectiveness of FHVI to deal with extreme rainfall, as well as its wide applicability (i.e. replicability) and favourable implementation costs; and

•To disseminate the results and the applicability potential of the project to authorities and professionals throughout the EU.

Expected results: The project expects to achieve the following results:

•A successful demonstration of the FHVI technique as a cost-effective adaptation strategy for climate change (extreme rainfall) and prevention of damage from pluvial flooding in urban areas;

•A reduction of frequency, duration and level of flooding events in Putten, the target being no water on the street at peak precipitation levels of a T10 event corresponding to a total quantity of 36 mm per hour;

•Improved quality of effluent at the wastewater treatment plant;

•Reduction of 5 200 m3/yr of discharge of excessive, untreated mixed rain and sewer water;

•Prevention of desiccation, through 46 800 m3/yr of water added to groundwater reserves;

•Resilience to spills (key in this respect is that a spill in a FHVI infiltration well can be ‘reversed’, i.e. used to pump back spills that penetrated the groundwater);

•Dissemination of project and monitoring results to stakeholders and target audiences;

•Creation of interest of at least 10 other European cities and municipalities to implement the FHVI technique to adapt to climate change; and

•Provision of a blueprint, facilitating rapid replication and transferability to other European cities and municipalities.

The water and waste water sector is facing tremendous challenges to assure safe, cost-effective and sustainable water supply and sanitation services. DEMEAU promotes the uptake of knowledge, prototypes and practices from previous EU research enabling the water cycle sector to face emerging pollutants and thus securing water and waste water services and public health. The project exploits four groups of promising technologies from previous EU research: Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), hybrid ceramic membrane filtration, hybrid advanced oxidation processes, bioassays. Exploitation takes place through action research with universities, research institutions, innovative SME’s, launching water utilities and policy makers.

Essential in the DEMEAU approach is the cooperation with water utilities that have committed to act as launching customer for the selected technologies. Existing and improved performance assessment methodologies will be used to benchmark the novel technologies against existing ones. This is to demonstrate the suitability and cost-effectiveness of the demonstrated technologies. Demonstration sites at launching utilities act as transfer points for the technologies and will generate market opportunities for the SME’s involved.
To foster a broader impact and market penetration of the technologies, DEMEAU seeks cooperation with relevant policy makers, regulators and standardization bodies on Member State and European level in order to address barriers and promoters for the implementation.

A considerable percentage (39%) of the total requested EC contribution is allocated to SME’s.

Result in Brief – http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/159932_en.html

Report Summaries – http://cordis.europa.eu/result/rcn/182187_en.html

Final Report – http://cordis.europa.eu/docs/results/308/308339/final1-20160229-demeau-final-report.pdf