Diffuse urban pollution is affecting natural waters in all of Europe. This is mainly regulated trough the EU Water Frame Directive, which includes lists of targeted chemical compounds, threshold limits and monitoring. Scientists acknowledge, that contaminants in the targeted monitoring, only covers a subset of the contaminants in urban runoff. Thus, present regulation and management of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is limited due to lack of knowledge of pollutants and their effects on human health, water environment and biodiversity.
The D4RUNOFF project, financed under the EU Green Deal Zero Pollution Action Plan, is developing a framework to deal with this problem. The scientific backbone of the project is developing standardized chemical detection methods based on non-target suspect screening. The D4RUNOFF project framework will also develop and demonstrate target monitoring with novel sensor technology, evaluated through a risk-based approach and mitigated through implementation of naturebased solutions - all managed in an AI supported digital platform.
The results will enable stakeholders to identify all pollutants present in urban runoff, demonstrate a market for monitoring of CECs and provide knowledge of the potential to reduce and prevent urban pollution by implementing naturebased solutions in our cities. The Ai assisted digital platform is designed to make complex datasets and comprehensive scientific knowledge accessible for all stakeholders in urban pollution management, urban planning as well as policy, strategy and regulation.
By providing detailed and comprehensive knowledge of CECs in urban runoff, the D4RUNOFF project will close the knowledge gap and hereby directly impact strategies of European water infrastructure, urban planning, climate adaptation as well as future environmental regulations, like Water Frame Directive, the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive etc.
