EU Water Saving Potential

The project’s main purpose is to assess the EU water saving potential. The study addresses the savings that can be achieved via technical measures without major changes in human behavior or production patterns. Furthermore, it looks towards instruments such as water pricing, drought management plans or labeling that can foster the implementation of these measures. Water savings will help addressing water scarcity and droughts. They will also deliver financial and economic benefits. Such benefits include delayed or avoided procurement of additional water supply infrastructures, reduction in sewage and wastewater treatment capacity or reduced water bills. Further water saving can also bring environmental benefits beside reduced stress in a river basins such as reduced fertilizer use, reduce soil erosion and leaching. It should be noted however that “net” water savings leading to environmental improvements in the status of aquatic ecosystems will only be achieved if all water saved in one sector is not used elsewhere by the same or another sector! Last but not least, water savings will also bring additional ancillary benefits, for example by reducing energy consumption, electricity bills and thus CO2 emissions – thus contributing to climate change strategies and policy actions.