The project will develop a radically new market ready approach to RTC of sewer networks with the aim of reducing local flood risk in urban areas. Existing RTC pilot projects (e.g. Vienna, Dresden, Aarhus) are characterised by complex sensor networks, linked to centralised control systems governed by calibrated hydrodynamic modelling tools and fed by radar rainfall technology. Such systems are expensive and complex to install and operate, requiring a high investment in new infrastructure, communication equipment and control systems. In contrast, this proposal will develop a novel low cost de-centralised, autonomous RTC system. It will be installed, tested and demonstrated in a number of pilot study catchments. This RTC system will utilise data driven distributed intelligence combined with local, low cost monitoring systems installed at key points within existing sewer infrastructure. The system will utilise mechanically simple, robust devices to control flow in order to reduce flood risk at vulnerable sites. This system will be informed and governed directly by sensors distributed within the local network, without the need for an expensive hydrodynamic model or real time rainfall measurements. This system will deliver many of the benefits of RTC systems, whilst avoiding the high costs and complex nature of extensive sensor networks, centralised control systems, communications systems and infrastructure modifications. It is anticipated that such a system will be of significant benefit to operators of small to medium sized sewer networks.

The revised EU Drinking Water Directive promotes a risk assessment and risk management approach for securing drinking water supply in the context of climate change and increased pollution. However, this approach is challenged by insufficient information that is available to operators, especially in real time, on compounds and organisms of emerging concern, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, disinfection by-products, heavy metals and pathogenic micro-organisms. We argue that if drinking water treatment could leverage novel technologies and design philosophies, and more agile operational actions could be supported, drinking water supply systems could become more adaptable and robust without expensive infrastructural investments. In this context, ToDrinQ develops and tests a compendium of modular, complementary, innovative solutions (the ‘ToDrinQ Toolkit’) that provide new information and better support tools to operators and designers to adapt to (short- and long-term) changes in water quality, while obtaining high drinking water quality at the tap. ToDrinQ develops novel real time sensing and water quality monitoring technologies, innovative treatment systems (especially suitable for small-scale/modular, adaptable treatment plants) and interoperable decision tools that support resilient, evidence-based treatment plant design and improved overall water system operational awareness and response. The consortium is perfectly placed to achieve significant progress beyond the state of art, based on a research-technology alliance of leading universities and research institutes and innovative technology developers including deep tech SMEs. It is also ideally placed to maximise relevance and impact by grounding its innovations on diverse real-world cases through co-creation with five pro-active water companies (in the Netherlands, Greece, France, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic), and maximise outreach through the influential multi-stakeholder, network Water Europe.

The SECIF project consists in the extension of a first preliminary attempt led in partnership with IDDRI (“Institut for sustainable development and international relations) and related to climate change vulnerability issues for companies of industrial and services sectors. This collaboration enabled to identify precise needs into a couple of companies in terms of climate products and climate expertise. Moreover, feasibility of such a partnership has been validated using some concrete studies. They have been performed for two given sectors that are strongly sensitive to the climate adaptation issue: water and energy sectors. Several discussions with other companies and sectors (transport, all sort of services, building, urban planning …) have also shown that awareness of this different actors is actually going. A lot of work is still necessary to make companies more aware and more mature on their vulnerability and to be able to express a clear and concrete demand. In addition to this “consulting” work, research institutes must organise themselves and improve coordination in order to be able, if necessary, to respond to numerous requests and provide suitable information (data, various products and/or analysis methods). Several initiatives concerning model data distribution (regional or global scale data; raw or elaborated data) and their expertise have been launched (Drias and PRODIGUER projects for example). In the other side, several industrial requests on these vulnerability topics are often related to knowledge in the scope of basic research. Answering needs to provide an additional fundamental research and integrate multidisciplinarity aspects. Currently, at a national scale, an interface cell is missing to answer these various requests. The work that we propose in SECIF is then an exploratory step towards the implementation of climate services for industrial community. They will allow to better integrate climate data and knowledge in industrial adaptation strategies.