Global networks and local actions for the protection and safety of water resources

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From optional to compulsory: risk management for water utilities

TZW is always working on innovative research projects which deal with current aspects of risk management. In June 2022, specialists from TZW presented their work on the protection of groundwater resources, risk assessment for complex dam systems, and tools for risk management in water supply systems at an international conference: Leading experts of global water management met at the IWA Water Safety Conference in Norway. The practical experiences of TZW were met with great interest, and our experts took away interesting impulses for their work with German water suppliers. 

Risk management in the drinking water catchment area serves the preventive protection of resources and thus the guarantee of drinking water safety. This includes both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Drinking water resources are not only often exposed to hazards in the form of substance inputs, but the sufficient availability and supply of water is also increasingly becoming the focus of risk management, especially in the course of climate change. The research projects ResiTrink! and Risk_Plus deal with these issues.

ResiTrink!

With the new EU Drinking Water Directive, politics shows that there is also a political awareness of the relevance of resource protection. The new directive calls for mandatory risk management in water supply. Details on the implementation into national law still have to be clarified. With the ResiTrink! project, TZW together with bnNETZE is investigating what this implementation can look like in practice.

Risk_Plus

The goal of Risk_Plus is to develop a tool that supports water suppliers in implementing risk management measures into their water supply chain, from the source to the tap in households. The tool will make it easier for water utilities to comply with the legal rules on risk management from the catchment area through extraction, treatment, storage and distribution in a rulebook-compliant and user-friendly manner. The project is being realised in cooperation with Disy Informationssysteme GmbH. TZW is responsible for the development of the technical and conceptual foundation for the tool on the one hand, and for the integration of risk management requirements into the software on the other.

International knowledge transfer through global networking

At the IWA Water Safety Conference in Narvik, Norway, TZW was able to deepen its international contacts and network with experts on the topic of risk management in water supply for a mutual exchange of experiences. For example, TZW is active in a project on climate-resilient risk management in Southern Africa, and the experience gained in this project will be also be incorporated into technical advisory practice for the German water supply sector.

Links

ResiTrink!: Resource Protection and Risk Management in Drinking Water supply (ResiTrink!) | TZW
Risk_Plus Software tool for risk management in drinking water supply (RISK_Plus) | TZW
KreATiw Climate Resilience, Sanitation and Water Safety (KreATiw) | TZW

Current Publications

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Fischer, T.; Gottwalt, J.; Hahne, L. (2022): Web-Based Software Application for Risk Management of Drinking-Water Supplies. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 124-125; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Kaupe, M.; Schiffman, S. (2022): Risk Assessment for Groundwater Catchment Areas. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 101-102; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Rickert, B.; Zügner, V.; Sturm, S.; Brauer, F. (2022): Germany’s Way to WSP Through Policy Actions and Technical Standards. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 66-68; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Sturm, S.; Brauer, F.; Hegewald, T.; Freier, K. (2022): Risk Assessment and Implementing Risk Management for a Complex Drinking Water Reservoir-System in Saxony, Germany. Water Safety Conference 2022. Narvik 22-24 June 2022. Conference Proceedings. pp. 97-98; Editors: International Water Association (IWA), World Health Organization (WHO), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Brauer, F.; Sturm, S.; Kaupe, M.; Schiffmann, S. (2019): Mehrwert des Risikomanagements für den Wasserversorger. DVGW energie | wasser-praxis 12/2019, 53-55

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