As we speak, the Fee printed tips to assist Member States and stakeholders apply the principles on the secure reuse of handled city waste water for agricultural irrigation. With a number of Member States more and more affected by droughts, reusing water from city waste water therapy crops can develop into an important device to make sure a secure and predictable supply of water, while decreasing the strain on water our bodies and enhancing the EU’s potential to adapt to local weather change. The Water Reuse Regulation, relevant from June 2023, units out minimal water high quality, threat administration and monitoring necessities to make sure secure water reuse. The rules are complemented by a number of sensible examples to facilitate the applying of the principles.
Commissioner for the Setting, Fisheries and Oceans Virginijus Sinkevičius, stated:
Freshwater sources are scarce and more and more underneath strain. In occasions of unprecedented temperature peaks, we have to cease losing water and use this useful resource extra effectively to adapt to the altering local weather and make sure the safety and sustainability of our agricultural provide. As we speak’s tips might help us do exactly that and safe the secure circulation, throughout the EU, of meals merchandise grown with reclaimed water.
Water reuse can restrict abstractions from floor waters and groundwater and promote a extra environment friendly administration of water sources, by the a number of makes use of of water throughout the city water cycle, in step with the EU’s targets underneath the European Inexperienced Deal.
This drive in the direction of extra environment friendly use of water can be mirrored within the current Fee proposal to revise the Industrial Emissions Directive, calling additionally for a extra environment friendly use of water throughout all industrial processes together with by water reuse. The upcoming Fee’s proposal to revise the City Waste Water Remedy Directive can even purpose to additional facilitate water reuse.
Background
Within the context of the European Inexperienced Deal, each the Round Economic system Motion Plan and the brand new EU Local weather Adaptation Technique seek advice from wider use of handled waste water as a approach to improve the EU’s potential to reply to the rising pressures on water sources.
Water reuse might additionally contribute to the Farm to Fork Technique’s aim of lowering the environmental footprint of the EU meals system and strengthen its resilience, by offering an alternate, extra dependable water supply for irrigation. Funding alternatives for investments in irrigation with reclaimed water in its place water provide exist underneath the Widespread Agricultural Coverage .
The Regulation on minimal necessities for water reuse (Water Reuse Regulation) units harmonised minimal water high quality necessities for the secure reuse of handled city wastewater in agricultural irrigation, with the purpose of facilitating the uptake of this apply. The Regulation additionally foresees the likelihood for Member States to resolve to introduce this apply at a later stage, on the idea of particular standards. Such choices have to be recurrently reviewed to bear in mind local weather change projections and nationwide methods, in addition to the river basins administration plans established underneath the Water Framework Directive
