An integrated and circular water management model based on a “cascading” system of use that maximizes the efficiency of the resource, with particular emphasis on water recovery, reuse and storage. This is the focus of the pilot project presented by the Assoreca working group (the association of companies operating in the environmental, safety, energy, health and social responsibility sectors in Italy), coordinated by Proger.
The pilot project for territorial water sustainability carried out in the Novara area consists of four main types of interventions, derived from an in-depth analysis of the Novara area: the recovery and use of wastewater or industrial process water, the storage of water in small artificial reservoirs, the injection of water underground to recharge the water table, and the closure of the industrial process water cycle to reduce withdrawals from the aqueduct and the water table.
The idea is to store water when it is abundant and then reuse it at times when demand exceeds supply. This system therefore requires a source of supply (which, depending on the specific intervention, may be a surface water body or a wastewater treatment plant) from which water is taken to be stored in a reservoir (artificial reservoir or aquifer) and then used for agriculture by means of canalization works or wells (some existing, some to be built). Depending on the specifics of each intervention, the project is obviously accompanied by a series of works and artifacts that serve to connect the different components of the system to each other and to connect the system to the territory (inside and outside). In a context of resilience and circularity, recourse to forms of energy supply from renewable sources (photovoltaic, mini-hydro) could not be avoided, just as for the waterproofing of the reservoirs, preference was given, as far as possible, to environmentally friendly materials.
“The solutions developed in the pilot project were designed for the specific area of intervention”, explains Marco Sandrucci, Head of Environment & Geology Department at Proger, “but their modular and scalable approach makes them replicable in different contexts”. The system uses renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly materials, in line with the principles of environmental sustainability”.
This model is proposed as a useful, if not necessary, intervention to address the challenges of climate change. The results of the pilot project are particularly relevant in light of the increasingly evident effects of climate variability, which is altering the seasonal distribution of rainfall and increasing the risk of droughts and floods. Through this pilot project, Proger has also been able to verify and make tangible the interest of the financial world in projects that offer “green” financing solutions and that can effectively enable industrial and, in particular, agricultural entrepreneurs to equip themselves with solutions for the resilience of their activities, such as those tested and fine-tuned during the pilot project itself.
“The model proposed by Proger is a valuable tool for addressing climate challenges,” Sandrucci added, “by promoting resilient and sustainable management of water resources”.
The pilot project of the Assoreca working group led by Proger demonstrates the need for a holistic approach involving agriculture, manufacturing, urbanization, finance and the social fabric to ensure the protection and rehabilitation of land in an increasingly critical climate change context.
