On 17 and 18 September, the WATERVILL consortium gathered in Valencia, Spain, for the project’s 2nd Steering Committee meeting, hosted by project partner Institute of Water and Environmental engineering (IIAMA) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).
This Steering Committee meeting came at an important stage of the project, as WATERVILL enters a phase marked by several key milestones and the development of important project outputs.
From assessment to solutions
B uilding on the work carried out during the first months of implementation, partners discussed the progress and next steps for several key deliverables, including :
– The digital database of water supply solutions
– Climate-proofing of water supply solutions and infrastructure
– The Decision Support System (DSS)
These tools and solutions, including the DSS, are being developed based on the needs identified in the four pilot municipalities, Žabljak, Teslić, Bitola and Ilirska Bistrica, while allowing adaptation and use by municipalities in different contexts and countries. In the next months, partners will also develop a capacity-building proposal aimed at municipal representatives and other relevant stakeholders, supporting the uptake and application of the solutions developed through WATERVILL.
Partners also presented the preparatory work on policy recommendations for managing rural and mountain water supply systems, examining legal and strategic frameworks in the four pilot countries. The recommendations will address key aspects such as ownership, management, operational procedures and cooperation between stakeholders, supporting advocacy at local and national level.
The pilot municipalities also shared their needs regarding local investments to improve water supply systems and management, as well as the potential challenges associated with implementing these investments.
The next field visits, with WATERVILL partners set to visit Bitola and Žabljak in November, will provide an opportunity to gather additional data through direct observations in all four pilot municipalities and help inform the design of the above-mentioned deliverables based on more complete information.
Learning from Valencia’s water infrastructure
The Steering Committee meeting was followed by a visit to the Realón Drinking Water Treatment Plant, in Picassent, Valencia, one of the main facilities supplying drinking water to Valencia and its metropolitan area.
The visit provided an opportunity for WATERVILL partners to learn more about the operation of a large-scale drinking water infrastructure serving approximately 1.6 million inhabitants, offering valuable insights and inspiration for the work ahead.
As WATERVILL moves from assessment towards the development and testing of solutions, the Valencia meeting marked an important step in translating the knowledge gathered so far into practical tools, investments and solutions.
The next project Steering Committee meeting will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, in April 2027.
