Month: April 2025

How Can We Help Our Rivers? New Study Shows Problems And Opportunities In The Protection Of River Biodiversity

eawater
River-Biodiversity

An international research team led by Senckenberg scientist Prof. Dr. Peter Haase has evaluated global biodiversity protection measures in rivers. Their study in “Nature Reviews Biodiversity” reveals that many protection and renaturation efforts achieve only limited success. Sustainable protection of river ecosystems requires holistic, transnational measures involving various social groups. Rivers are vital planetary lifelines that have attracted human settlement for thousands of years, providing drinking water, energy, food, transportation, and recreation. However, human activities have significantly damaged biodiversity in about 50% of the world’s rivers. Affected areas include densely…

Read More

In Real-Time Sewer Control, We Trust

eawater
N-Real-Time-Sewer-Control

The importance of building trust in real-time sewer control systems networks was recently explored in a World Water-Tech roundtable hosted by Chengzi Chew of Grundfos FutureLab. The topic of the roundtable at World Water-Tech was – Overcoming trust issues: What does it take to adopt real-time control systems for sewer networks? Trust must be built among multiple stakeholders. Regulators need assurance about automated systems controlling networks, while better control can help water companies regain customer trust. For operators, real-time control systems function like airplane autopilot—they enhance capabilities but still require…

Read More

London’s Super Sewer Now Fully Connected – Promising A Greener, Healthier River Thames

eawater
Londons-Super-Sewer

Tideway has successfully activated London’s new super sewer after ten years of construction. The final connection between the Victorian sewers and the 25km Thames Tideway Tunnel has been completed, bringing the entire system online. The new infrastructure will prevent 95% of sewage spills into the tidal Thames, addressing challenges from population growth and climate change. Connections have been made at key locations including Putney Embankment, Chelsea and Victoria Embankments, Blackfriars Bridge, and King Edward Memorial Park. Already, 5,500,000m³ of sewage has been captured, with significant amounts during storm events –…

Read More

UK And Welsh Government Unite In £1m Fund To Transform River Wye

eawater
River-Wye

The Welsh and UK Government have announced a new £1 million joint research initiative to tackle water quality issues in the River Wye. The Welsh Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, and UK Government’s Water Minister, Emma Hardy, made the announcement during a roundtable meeting in Monmouth with key stakeholders from both sides of the border. The comprehensive cross-border research programme will Local farmers, environmental groups, and citizen scientists will play a crucial role in gathering evidence and shaping the research priorities. The programme will work closely with established organisations including…

Read More

Clean Water Initiatives: Reducing Carbon While Improving Lives

eawater
Clean-Water-Initiatives

Access to clean drinking water is essential for health and well-being, but these initiatives also play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions. In Uganda, where over 21 million people lack clean water access, many resort to boiling water using firewood, contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. TASC has distributed 30,000 ceramic SPOUTS Purifaaya water filters to households in Western Uganda, providing safe drinking water without boiling. These locally-made filters can reduce each household’s CO2 emissions by up to three tonnes annually. The project is certified by Gold Standard,…

Read More

New Water Quality Data Sheds Light On Health Of Rivers In Wales

eawater
Rivers-In-Wales

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has published new data showing modest improvements in phosphorus levels in Welsh Special Area of Conservation (SAC) rivers, with 50% of waterbodies now meeting targets compared to 39% in 2021. Of the 122 assessed water bodies, 17 improved to passing status while 5 fell out of compliance. Despite these improvements, the number of whole SAC river catchments with non-compliances has increased from five to seven, with the Afon Gwyrfai and Afon Eden rivers now each having one failing water body. This means development restrictions will be…

Read More

New Study Finds 1,450% Increase In Microplastic Levels Within Soil After Four Years Of Sewage Sludge Application

eawater
Sewage-Sludge-Application

A new study by The James Hutton Institute has revealed an increase of up to 1,450% in the level of microplastics found within soil samples after just four years of sewage sludge application. The study, which was carried out in collaboration with Robert Gordon University (RGU), also found that the number of microplastics in the soil remained relatively unchanged 22 years after application. Researchers drew their conclusions by looking at soil samples from a field in Hartwood, North Lanarkshire, which was included in a UKwide sewage sludge experiment between 1994…

Read More

Elon Musk’s Xai Plans $80m Wastewater Treatment Plant To Service Memphis Supercomputer

eawater
Elon-Musks-Xai

xAI is constructing what it claims will be the world’s largest ceramic membrane bioreactor in Memphis, Tennessee. This $80 million facility will process 49.2 million liters (13 million gallons) of wastewater daily, primarily to cool Elon Musk’s Colossus supercomputer. The AI startup is collaborating with Cerafiltec, a German ceramic membrane specialist, on this ambitious project. The facility will be built on a 13-acre site that xAI is purchasing from the Memphis city council for $820,000. Set to begin operations later this year, the plant will generate excess treated water beyond…

Read More

Kazakhstan To Invest $354mn In Water Sector Modernisation With 98 Projects In 2025

eawater
Kazakhstan

In a recent government session, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov reported strides in the modernisation of Kazakhstan’s water sector. He outlined the government’s plans to implement 98 projects in 2025, with a total investment of KZT 173.7bn ($354mn), marking a 73% increase from the previous year. The projects align with Kazakhstan’s long-term vision for the water sector, as outlined in two key documents adopted in 2024: the Concept of Water Resources Management System Development for 2024-2030 and the Comprehensive Water Sector Development Plan for 2024-2028. These documents…

Read More

Aurea from Consulting Engineers Royal HaskoningDHV is the Overall Winner of the Aquatech Innovation Award 2025

eawater
Aurea

A groundbreaking Dutch innovation that sustainably removes micro-pollutants during wastewater treatment has captured the Overall Winner title at the Aquatech Innovation Award 2025. Developed by consulting engineers Royal HaskoningDHV, Aurea represents a significant advancement in water treatment technology with global implications. The Aquatech Innovation Award recognizes exceptional innovations capable of disrupting the global water market, and this year’s competition featured numerous high-quality entries. Following a thorough review by an independent jury led by Professor Cees Buisman, Scientific Director of Wetsus, Aurea emerged as the standout winner. Created in partnership with…

Read More