This project focuses on supporting the integration of risk assessment approaches into European water legislation to protect both environmental and human health. As EU directives evolve—such as the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD), Drinking Water Directive (DWD), Water Reuse Regulation, Water Framework Directive (WFD), and the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)—there is a growing emphasis on understanding and mitigating the risks posed by micropollutants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and microplastics. These substances, when accumulated in water bodies, present complex challenges that require coordinated action across sectors and borders.
The goal is to promote a more holistic and integrated approach to water management by improving the identification of pollution sources, strengthening environmental risk assessment practices, and fostering knowledge exchange among EU Member States. This includes tracking pressures from industry, agriculture, and wastewater treatment plants, and using the insights to support permitting procedures and inform better enforcement of existing regulations.
A key objective is to develop methodologies for assessing environmental damage, particularly to determine when harm qualifies as “substantial damage” under the Environmental Crime Directive and Environmental Liability Directive. This requires creating common technical criteria that can be shared across Member States to support consistent enforcement and legal clarity.
The project also aims to contribute to the transition toward a circular economy by identifying best practices in water reuse, particularly in industrial and agricultural settings. By drawing on previous IMPEL projects such as WiNE and CAED, the initiative builds on existing knowledge and tools to advance effective and coordinated responses to water pollution and resource management.
Ultimately, the outcomes of this project are expected to enhance the implementation of EU water legislation, contribute to environmental permitting processes, and support broader goals like the EU Green Deal, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and climate change mitigation strategies. Through better risk assessment and damage evaluation, the project offers valuable inputs for improving water quality, safeguarding public health, and promoting sustainable water use across Europe.
The project studies will be carried out with 3 different work packages:
1. WiNE-Wastewater in Natural Environment
WiNE Project will continue within Work Package 1 of WRAP. It will be evaluated how the circularity indices developed so far support the goals of EU water reuse regulation and help promote various reuse strategies, as outlined in the recast of the Urban Waste Water Directive (91/271/EEC). It will also examine how Regulation (EU) 2020/741 on water reuse is being applied in practice and identify effective risk assessment methods. The studies will be published on WiNE project page.
2. CARA -Catchment Areas and Risk Assessment :
Two site visits are planned during the project to better understand how to address the complexity of catchment areas and the potential accumulation of micropollutants. These visits will also explore available tools for local and remote detection.
Based on the findings, a guidance document and practical tools will be developed to support risk assessment of water resources. The focus will be on catchment areas, particularly:
- Zones where micropollutants may accumulate, such as near wastewater discharges
- Catchment areas used for abstracting water for drinking or irrigation purposes
3. WDKA-Water Damage Key Assessment
Two site-visits are planned to test the methodology already developed by the Portuguese “National IMPEL Network” to real water pollution incidents (e.g., wastewater discharges from IED installations) and to understand difficulties and ways to overcome it. This work will also allow to link with the WiNE project, namely with the circularity index and the use of the checklists produced in the former project “Integrated Water Approach” for wastewater discharge permitters.
Guidance document and tools to measure “substantial damage” to water and to identify possible scope under ECD and ELD will be drafted.
Follow this page for updates and key developments throughout the course of the project.