Sustainable and digitalized water management in rural areas of the SUDOE region: the GestEAUr project

Rural areas in the SUDOE region (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, and the south of France) face multiple common challenges in relation to the integral water cycle: water scarcity (exacerbated by climate change); the impact of agricultural activity on water quality (and the resulting difficulty of reconciling compliance with European directives, the continuity of economic activity, and the availability of drinking water); and inefficient and unprofitable management (with obsolete facilities and limited human resources). In this context, it is essential to strengthen the networks of collaboration between the many actors involved in water resource management to implement efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective techniques for water purification, reuse, and treatment. To this end, it is necessary to create a new system of governance based on territorial cooperation. Through the development of a strategy to improve water efficiency and quality in these rural areas and in the context of climate change, the aim is to improve water supply and treatment services by experimenting with pilot plants for cost-effective and sustainable solutions for water purification, treatment, and reuse. This communication is focused on presenting the innovative approaches applied in the pilot tests within the framework of the GestEAUr project, addressing the entire water cycle holistically. Specifically, the focus will be on i) membrane and electro-assisted technologies with "in situ" electrochemical synthesis of oxidants for drinking water treatment, ii) nature-based solutions (NbSs) for wastewater treatment and water reuse, and iii) advanced oxidation processes-based technologies for wastewater disinfection and detoxification.