Demonstration of reclaimed water use for the irrigation of urban green spaces

Within the BMBF-funded Nutzwasser Project (completed in December 2024), innovative flexible and demand-oriented management strategies for water reuse for urban and agricultural irrigation were designed and optimized at demonstration scale.

The subsequent STMUV-funded project „Nutzwasser for Urban Green Spaces“
is now testing the large-scale implementation of the reclaimed water applications for irrigation within the City of Schweinfurt. This project will be the first in Bavaria and Germany to establish the use of an alternative, drought-proof water resource for the irrigation of urban green spaces at a city scale. The existing treatment train at the site will be expanded with a conveyance system (using pipe-in-pipe technology) and a storage reservoir in the northern part of the city.

The investigations focus on establishing a dynamic and demand-oriented management system for the irrigation infrastructure and ensuring appropriate water quality for the provision of Nutzwasser. Additionally, a risk management plan and long-term monitoring will be designed and implemented to preserve soil and groundwater quality as well as plant health. A cost-benefit analysis of the water reuse concept will be conducted to support the transferability of this practice to other municipalities.
 

The project is accompanied by partners from research, public institutions as well as industry partners: