Fit-for-Purpose Water in the Baltic Sea Region

Abstract

Climate change is visible everywhere, including in Baltic Sea Region (BSR). One of the symptoms is water scarcity, occurring relatively locally but persisting over longer and longer periods. The European and Global Drought Observatories (https://drought.emergency.copernicus.eu) present increasing BSR areas where soil moisture is alarmingly low. Water shortages cause technical and organizational problems in water utilities, agriculture, energy, industry, etc. Hence, competition for water between industry, agriculture, and municipal services has emerged. Sustainable water resource management requires solutions that rationalize and optimize the use of available resources with particular care for the environment. One of the methods of remedying local problems is closing local water and nutrient cycles by recovering water from urban wastewater and using rainwater