The term "good practice" is used to indicate a tested process or action practically proven to be more effective than others when applied under specific conditions. The main principles that characterize these practices have to do with innovation, effectiveness, sustainability, easy reproduction and transferability.
Exploitation of unconventional water resources can be the key to resolve the issue of insufficiency and restricted availability of water resources. Alternative water sources include rainwater recovery, flood water utilization, gray water recycling, artificial groundwater enrichment, re-use of treated urban waste water effluents and desalination using Renewable Energy Sources (RES).
A number of European Projects as good practices examples have been implemented and some of them are cited below.
Project AQUAKNIGHT
AQUAKNIGHT stands for AQUA knowledge and Innovation transfer for water saving in the Mediterranean basin. The implementation period was from 2007-2013 and the Lead Partner was the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems in Greece. AQUAKNIGHT project focused on optimizing consumption and minimizing the Non-Revenue Water (water not metered or billed to consumers) through the implementation of five pilot projects in the cities of Limassol (Cyprus), Genoa (Italy), Alexandria (Egypt), Tunis (Tunisia) and Aqaba (Jordan).
Project CISWastewater
Project CISWastewater (Continuous improvement strategy for increasing the efficiency of waste waters treatment facilities in the Black Sea coastal states) started in 2007 and it was completed in 2013. The achievements of this project concerned the development of expert knowledge on the situation of waste water management and sustainable development increased in the Black Sea region.
A new concept was developed to improve the management of waste waters treatment facilities (WWTF) in 6 countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine), with direct access to the Black Sea or clearly integrated to the BS Basin. Moreover, increasing WWTF performance, by implementing the CIS concept in Romania, Region of South-East and in Greece, East Macedonia –Thracian Region was also achieved.
Project WATenERgy CYCLE
Project’s Lead Partner is Municipal Water and Sewerage Company of Larissa, Greece and it started in 2014. It is about the urban water full cycle: from its source to its end-users and back to the environment. The overall aim is to develop a common methodological approach towards efficient and effective transnational water and energy resources management. It was implemented in Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and North Macedonia.
Project WMFP
The initials stand for Water Management and Flood Protection in Thracian village, Haskovo municipality. It started in 2007 and it lasted for six years. Lead Partner was Municipality of Haskovo, Bulgaria. WMFP’s aim was to bring Bulgarian and Greek partners together to solve the flood protection problem that plagued Thracian village, Haskovo region in the cross-border region Bulgaria-Greece and at the same time to support establishment of partnerships between the stakeholders in the region in the area of water management. The overall objective of the project was to improve flood protection and water management and thus to contribute to protection of the environment and to the economic growth of the cross border region.
It is worth noting that good ecological state of river basins after the implementation of the European projects constitutes a good example, as long as the assessment that has been carried out afterwards manifests a significant increase in drinking water quality, effective flood management and non-wasting of water resources. However, transnational cooperation is of paramount importance, as each country has to support the promotion of their natural resources, protect biodiversity, combat water pollution and finally, apply common adaptation measures to climate change.
