Project PREPARED addresses the adaptation of the water sector to climate change effects. It has been anticipated that some of the impacts of climate change, such as rises in average temperature and sea level, will only become apparent after many years. However, climate change-driven events are already happening with increasing frequency and intensity. This is the case of extreme storm and rain events and heat, drought and cold periods, which may impact water and wastewater systems. Therefore, in addition to structural adaptations of infrastructures that may be implemented on a medium- to long-term basis, many urban water utilities also need to adapt rapidly to on-going climate change effects.
Diverse scenarios are available for each country and region. In addition, the same climate effects may impact the various sectors and utilities differently. On the other hand, certain climate change effects may impact the infrastructures of all urban water cycle sectors.
The adaptation of water utilities to climate changes has been tackled in PREPARED through sectorial and integrative approaches. The former, which comprised adaptation measures for drinking water supply, wastewater and stormwater systems, were addressed in several work packages. The outputs produced include corrective and preventive measures for drinking water treatment plants, and drinking water and sanitation networks. With this respect, state-of-the-art knowledge and outputs from various PREPARED tasks were integrated and developed in PREPARED deliverable D5.5.5 in the form of guidelines, whose objectives are to support the design and implementation of adaptation measures. Accordingly, the D5.5.5 guidelines herein summarized comprise four chapters:
- Chapter 1 – Improved operation of drinking water treatment plants
- Chapter 2 – Maintenance of water supply networks
- Chapter 3 – Maintenance of wastewater networks
- Chapter 4 – Operation and maintenance of stormwater systems
For the sake of practical usefulness, adaptation measures, as well as their supporting technologies, methods and tools, are schematically and concisely presented in the guidelines. These also specify supplementary sources of more detailed and comprehensive information, which, in addition to pertinent PREPARED deliverables, include outputs from projects CARE-W, DayWater, TECHNEAU, CARE-S and AWARE-P.
Major outputs of deliverables 5.2.4, 5.2.5, 5.2.7 and 5.5.2 are herein integrated aiming at providing guidelines for improved operation of drinking water treatment plants in climate change scenarios.