During the first reporting period (M1–M18), RECREATE advanced scientific, technical, and stakeholder aspects of alternative water resource (AWR) management:
• Climate and water supply modelling: Europe-wide projections of surface and groundwater under RCP and SSP scenarios were produced using CORDEX data for surface water and a data-driven model for groundwater. These analyses identified regions at hydric risk and provided the baseline to assess climate resilience against demand scenarios.
• Stakeholder mapping and barriers analysis: A detailed stakeholder mapping was completed in each of the CS. Regulatory, institutional, and socio-economic barriers were mapped across case studies, highlighting gaps, legal inconsistencies, and socio-cultural challenges limiting AWR adoption.
• Stakeholder engagement: Communities of Practice (CoPs) were set up in North Holland, Kalundborg, Syros, and Costa Brava, engaging utilities, municipalities, regulators, and in Syros also farmers. CoPs now act as key platforms for co-designing adaptive strategies and sharing governance insights across Europe.
• RECREATE_WT platform architecture: The backbone of the RECREATE_WT was defined, including a FIWARE-based data lake integrating case study datasets with harmonised data and FAIR-compliant AI models. Designed for interoperability with JRC tools, it will support transparent decision-making.
• Resilience-based planning tools: An interim multi-hazard stress-testing framework was produced to assess robustness under climate and operational uncertainties, with new metrics to quantify resilience gains from AWR solutions.
• Progress in the four case studies:
– North Holland (NL): Documented experiences from pilots on brackish water, ASR, reuse, and rainwater harvesting. Built a system dynamics model (SDM) of the regional system, started climate and demand scenarios, aligned stress-testing narratives, and co-designed a Serious Game (Aqua Ludens) with stakeholders.
– Kalundborg (DK): Advanced a digital twin of the regional system with UWOT, linking existing and future supplies. Held a first CoP meeting, mapped barriers and drivers, and defined KPIs. Explored rainwater harvesting potential and prepared LCA paired with UWOT to evaluate cost efficiency.
– Syros (GR): Defined boundaries, organised two CoPs, and developed a conceptual model combining SDM/UWOT/ABM. Achieved UWOT baseline calibration. Groundwater wells at MAR sites were mapped for injection strategies. Installed water quality sensors in the MAR network and digitalised the desalination process to improve efficiency.
– Costa Brava (ES): Defined boundaries and launched a CoP. Developed a UWOT model, expanded to groundwater and future scenarios. Identified barriers and drivers. Installed and commissioned a pilot desalination plant (AIGUANEIX project) with sensors and experimental plan. Added extra sensors for virtual sensor development. Decided to focus UWOT modelling on the Muga aquifer, supported by the SUGGEREIX tool to evaluate reuse treatment chains.
• Risk assessment innovation: Microbial and chemical risk tools (QMRA/QCRA) were upgraded to cover emerging contaminants, mixtures, and failure events, supporting compliance with the EU Water Reuse Regulation.
Alongside technical progress, RECREATE reinforced its European impact by co-founding the AWR4Climate cluster with sister projects, joining the ICT4Water cluster, and starting replication beyond the four case studies, notably in Rostock (Germany).
