Between 12 May 2025 and 16 May 2025 the NUWEE researchers visited their colleagues from CAT and Eurecat in Spain. CAT and Eurecat are working on SafeCREW Case Study #3, L’Ampolla drinking water treatment plant. They aim to improve the climate change resilience of the Tarragona water supply system. The L’Ampolla drinking water treatment plant processes turn the surface water from the river Ebro into high quality drinking water. This drinking water is distributed to the region via an extensive distribution network. Higher temperatures and more frequent droughts change the situation in the water supply system depending on high seasonal variations. This results in the need for better mathematic models of the drinking water distribution network and approaches to risk based management of the water supply system.
During the first days, the NUWEE and Eurecat colleagues worked together in the hydraulic and quality modelling of the Ukranian sites. The NUWEE team gained extensive knowledge on how to use the R programming language to calibrate mathematical models for predicting the distribution of contaminants in water supply networks and modern risk assessment methodologies.
On Thursday NUWEE visited CAT’s L’Ampolla facilities. The NUWEE team was impressed with Eurecat’s and CAT’s modern laboratories for testing water, air and soil quality and they hope that over time they will be able to upgrade their laboratory equipment as well. They especially enjoyed the visit to the water treatment plant, as well as the organisation of monitoring and control of water quality indicators. They hope that they will be able to use these knowledge and experience to improve the work of Ukrainian water suppliers.
The visit of NUWEE in Tarragona offered an excellent opportunity to learn from each other and to share knowlegde about the different approaches to the management of water supply in Ukraine and in Catalonia. It set the basis for fruitful virtual meetings to continue the cooperation during the next months.
The impact of such visits also benefits from the whole atmosphere as Serhii Martynov pointed out: “We are sincerely grateful for your hospitality and wonderful days spent at EURECAT. Throughout our visit, we received a special level of care. We were pleasantly surprised by the peaceful atmosphere, the stunning mountainous nature and warm climate of Catalonia, the architecture of Manresa and Barcelona, the blue sea and rice fields.”
NUWEE colleagues visiting Eurecat and CAT in May 2025: introduction into the modelling of contaminants in water supply networks, presentation of the SafeCREW work in the Tarragona case study and research at NUWEE, excursion to the monitoring, research and treatment facilities at L’Ampolla drinking water treatment plant. Copyright Eurecat.