The Nursecoast project aims to better adapt wastewater treatment systems to the high seasonality of tourist destinations and improve the condition of the coastal Baltic Sea.
The Nursecoast II project focuses on the problem of small wastewater treatment plants associated with tourism on the seacoast. The high variability of flows caused by the seasonality of tourist traffic makes it difficult to achieve the required wastewater quality at any time. In turn, the quality of wastewater affects the condition of coastal waters and the attractiveness of these destinations to tourists.
The project will pilot various approaches to treating excess wastewater during peak tourist periods, such as wastewater treatment technologies, reuse of treated wastewater, nature-based solutions, gray water and sludge management. In addition, an exploratory study of small wastewater systems will be carried out to expand knowledge of daily operational problems, develop several tutorials based on the project results, and formulate guidelines for wastewater treatment policies in Baltic Sea tourist destinations. The main target groups are local public authorities, owners of tourist attractions and operators of wastewater treatment plants.
WaterMan is promoting water reuse in the Baltic Sea Region. In doing so, it adds a new element to water management that can make water supply more climate-resilient. The key actors in water reuse are local authorities and water utilities, for most of whom the topic is still new. WaterMan will provide them with the knowledge and tools to develop strategic approaches and implement concrete measures that will put water reuse into practice.
The capacity-building process involves an international peer learning process. Municipalities and water utilities from 6 countries, supported by research and development institutions/water experts, will co-create: 1.Sample water reuse strategies for selected model regions that combine measures for reuse of treated water, recirculation of retained water, and stakeholder and consumer acceptance of water reuse. 2.A set of complementary pilot activities for water reuse that represent typical use cases and that adapt, test and validate specific solutions for use in BSR. The results are processed into a "Toolkit for Water Reuse in the BSR." It gives other local authorities and water companies specific guidance on how to support water reuse and is proactively and widely disseminated.
Geographically, WaterMan focuses on the southern parts of the BSR (southeastern SE, DK, DE, PL, LT, LV, EE). This focus on homogeneous geology and landscape and landscape will make partnership learning and knowledge transfer more effective.
The core of the WaterMan partnership is made up of "practical" partners from the local level (local authorities, water utilities), who will become "leaders" in promoting water reuse in the Baltic Sea Region. In the project, they work with experts in the field, who provide them with the necessary knowledge that supports them in disseminating the project results to other interested local authorities and water supply companies in the Baltic Sea Region.
PROJECT BRIEF
- Project area: Water smart society
- Project scope: European or transnational (mainly Baltic Sea countries)
- Role of STG ERB: partner with own budget
- Level of funding: 80%
- Project budget: 4,377,046.00 EUR
- STG ERB budget: 191,806.80 EUR
- Project consortium: Project implemented jointly with 16 full partners and 27 associated partners from PL,DK,SE, EE, DE, LT, LV, FI
The CONTRA project compiles the knowledge required for sustainable management of beach wrack in the Baltic Sea Region and carries out case studies for beach wrack treatment. Beach wrack is organic material washed ashore, e.g. torn off seagrass or brown algae. It can cover Baltic Sea beaches for weeks after storms, rotting into a smelly soup and leaking nutrients back into the water. Managing beach wrack is an issue for local authorities and the tourism industry, in particular of the western and southern Baltic Sea.
Wrack management for clean beaches
The CONTRA project aims to change how coastal municipalities perceive and deal with beach wrack and to help develop the knowledge required for its sustainable treatment as part of coastal water management. The project compiles a tool-kit of options for removing and using beach wrack in a useful manner. The tool-kit is meant to help municipalities along the Baltic Sea coast to balance tourists’ demands for clean beaches with environmental protection.
Balancing opposing interests and identifying economic opportunities
Current practices to collect beach wrack create a financial burden for local communities. The methods used to collect and dispose of beach wrack, are also often in direct conflict with measures to safeguard the environment. To address this conflict and to balance opposing interests, CONTRA conducts a fair and comprehensive evaluation of all environmental, social and economic aspects of beach wrack management at six case study sites. This evaluation includes ecological impacts of beach wrack collection, industrial cycles of beach wrack processing and value chains of beach wrack based products or services. Potential products and services include fertilizer, soil improvers, biochar, biocover, coastal protection, biogas production and water quality improvement
A beach wrack cooperation network
The project establishes an international network for knowledge exchange, capacity building, awareness-raising and promotion of low-treatment or no-treatment options for beach wrack. The consortium comprises public authorities, businesses, academia and NGOs coming from six countries (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, Russia). Thematically the consortium covers marine systems, coastal tourism, sustainable development as well as administrative structures of the Baltic Sea region.
Project Website
PROJECT BRIEF:
Project Area: Blue Growth, Nature Conservation; activities for the quality of Baltic waters, management of coastal areas
Project scope: European or transnational (mainly Baltic Sea countries)
The role of STG ERB: partner with own budget
Co-financing rate: 85%
Project budget: EUR 2,565,180.87
STG ERB budget: EUR 115,353.75
Project consortium: Project implemented jointly with 14 full partners and 22 associated partners with PL, DK, SE, EST, DE