First Name:
MARIELA
Last Name:
ANTONAKOPOULOU
Type of BP
Implementation & management solutions
Typology of Non- Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) What kind of NCWR do you deal with ?:
Municipal wastewater (MWW)
What are the challenges raised by your Best Practice?
Overexploited groundwater, Degradation of the Ecosystem (water stress), Vulnerability to climate Change, Other (Please specify below)
Other challenges
Insufficient water for urban irrigation
How could you describe your Best Practice?
The Treated Wastewater Collection was installed in the Park of Spyros Kyprianos at the Municipality of Aglantzia, Cyprus, the largest park in the Municipality (24.000 m2). The neighbouring park was already using treated wastewater for its irrigation. Thus, it is a good opportunity to exploit the existing infrastructure and expand it for irrigation of Spyros Kyprianos Park as well as for other parks and green spaces that are not connected to the Municipality’s water distribution network. The treated wastewater is produced at the Wastewater Treatment Plant of Vathia Gonia. The project was implemented in April - June 2023 and based on the existing MoU between GWP-Med and the Municipality the system is scheduled to operate for at least 10 years.
The scope of the imlemented system is (a) to replace the groundwater which was used until recently for park & green spaces irrigation that are not connected to the municipality’s water distribution system and (b) to further expand the irrigation system of the Spyros Kyprianos Park to other parks. The project exploited the existing infrastrature of wastewater conveyance which was connected to the projects technical intervention.
The intervention consists of the following technical parts :
• One (1) plastic tank of 20,000 liters volume to collect the treated wastewater.
• Flow switches for automatic refill of the tank.
• Two (2) filters [one (1) with gravel and one (1) with mesh] to filter the treated wastewater before entering the tank – to avoid the sedimentation of solids in the tank and minimize the cleaning effort.
• One (1) dosing system that chlorinates the treated wastewater in the tank to increase the safety of using the treated wastewater. The system is equipped with a chlorine sensor to avoid over-chlorination since the treated wastewater is already chlorinated at the Wastewater.
• One (1) multi-valve system to distribute the treated wastewater to the irrigation system of the park.
• A (1) metal piping structure to refill the Municipality’s water truck with treated wastewater for the irrigation of other parks and green spaces that are not connected to the Municipality’s water distribution network.
• One (1) submersible pump to distribute the treated wastewater either for the park’s irrigation or for the refill of the Municipality’s water truck.
• A (1) control panel for the operation of the system.
• Drip irrigation piping system to enhance the irrigation of the park
The selected equipment was specially selected to withstand the weather conditions as it is installed next to the park in open space.
The annual yield of the technical intervention is more than 4,000,000 liters of replenished groundwater.
The project also included awareness raising activities, focusing mainly on the education of students and teachers of the area. Around 100 students and teachers gathered at a one-day water awareness event on the 26th of April 2023 at the park of Spyros Kyprianos. The students explored the water cycle, and the ways humans alter it and how they are being affected; they discussed non-conventional water resources and played an interactive game that was developed exclusively for the Programme.
The scope of the imlemented system is (a) to replace the groundwater which was used until recently for park & green spaces irrigation that are not connected to the municipality’s water distribution system and (b) to further expand the irrigation system of the Spyros Kyprianos Park to other parks. The project exploited the existing infrastrature of wastewater conveyance which was connected to the projects technical intervention.
The intervention consists of the following technical parts :
• One (1) plastic tank of 20,000 liters volume to collect the treated wastewater.
• Flow switches for automatic refill of the tank.
• Two (2) filters [one (1) with gravel and one (1) with mesh] to filter the treated wastewater before entering the tank – to avoid the sedimentation of solids in the tank and minimize the cleaning effort.
• One (1) dosing system that chlorinates the treated wastewater in the tank to increase the safety of using the treated wastewater. The system is equipped with a chlorine sensor to avoid over-chlorination since the treated wastewater is already chlorinated at the Wastewater.
• One (1) multi-valve system to distribute the treated wastewater to the irrigation system of the park.
• A (1) metal piping structure to refill the Municipality’s water truck with treated wastewater for the irrigation of other parks and green spaces that are not connected to the Municipality’s water distribution network.
• One (1) submersible pump to distribute the treated wastewater either for the park’s irrigation or for the refill of the Municipality’s water truck.
• A (1) control panel for the operation of the system.
• Drip irrigation piping system to enhance the irrigation of the park
The selected equipment was specially selected to withstand the weather conditions as it is installed next to the park in open space.
The annual yield of the technical intervention is more than 4,000,000 liters of replenished groundwater.
The project also included awareness raising activities, focusing mainly on the education of students and teachers of the area. Around 100 students and teachers gathered at a one-day water awareness event on the 26th of April 2023 at the park of Spyros Kyprianos. The students explored the water cycle, and the ways humans alter it and how they are being affected; they discussed non-conventional water resources and played an interactive game that was developed exclusively for the Programme.
Please describe your Best Practice in 5 keywords?
Treated wastewater reuse, Urban park irrigation, Smart irrigation, Groundwater conservation, Green-space management
Please provide any links to useful documentations (including website)presenting your Best Practice
In which area has your Best Practice been implemented ?
Urban area, Natural ecosystem, Other (Please specify below)
Other area
Green Areas or Parks
Best Practice location implementation (Country)
Greece
Localisation
POINT (33.383894 35.155375)
Who are the beneficiaries and/or the target group of your Best Practice ?
Water Utilities, Local Population, Municipalities, Other (Please specify below)
Other beneficiaries
Park users, Municipality of Aglantzia (responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system)
f the Best Practice has been implemented within a partnership, who were your partners ?
• Implementation partner: Global Water Partnership Mediterranean
• Implementation partner: Municipality of Aglantzia
• Funding partner: The Coca-Cola Foundation
• Funding partner: The Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus
• Implementation partner: Municipality of Aglantzia
• Funding partner: The Coca-Cola Foundation
• Funding partner: The Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus
Have you involved stakeholders?
Yes
Please list them
• municipal staff,
• park users,
• local residents,
• schools,
• water authorities
• park users,
• local residents,
• schools,
• water authorities
What are the obstacles to implementation of Best Practice ?
Lack of dissemination of success stories related to NCW, Isuffi cient funding instruments to support solution for NCW, Lack of public acceptance of water reuse, Lack of training of professionals to take up best practices in their portfolio
Did you receive funding for the research and development of the proposed BP?
Yes
Please indicate the source of funding
Private financing
What difficulties you have faced to access the funding ?
No difficulties were encountered. This was part of GWP-Med Technical Solution agenda access to funding and long-standing partnership with The Coca Cola Foundation.
Has your Best Practice been validated/upscaled?
The best practice has been validated by the water utilities of Nicosia but not been upscaled yet due to lack of public funding. (More urgent priorities for Municipalities)
Is there the potential to exploit/outscale the Best Practice?
There is potential for replication and upscaling considering the easy access to the treated wastewater and the secondary uses (demand) that are present in Cyprus. Public funding needs to be allocated in these kinds of best practices instead of extending in the use of groundwater and desalination resources
Do you have or know any platform of sharing Best Practice that you would like to link to this inventory platform?
No
Does your Best Practice contribute to an innovation? If so, please provide a short description of the innovative component
This Best Practice has an innovative technical component which is the integration of treated wastewater into an urban park irrigation network in order to replace the groundwater which was being used until recently for irrigating the parks and other close by green spaces which are not connected to the Municipality’s water distribution system. The treated wastewater is stored in a water tank, from which the Municipality also can withdraw water to irrigate other green spaces.
The Best Practice also relies on a municipal management arrangement and cooperation between public and private partners, dedicated financing, operational integration into the management of municipal green spaces, as well as awareness-raising activities through dedicated educational activities.
The Best Practice also relies on a municipal management arrangement and cooperation between public and private partners, dedicated financing, operational integration into the management of municipal green spaces, as well as awareness-raising activities through dedicated educational activities.
What technolog(ies) and/or tool(s) has(ve) been used for your Best Practice ?
One plastic tank of 20,000 liters volume to collect the treated wastewater., Flow switches for automatic refill of the tank, Two filters (gravel and mesh) to remove solids from treated wastewater to prevent tank sedimentation, A dosing system for treated wastewater chlorination, using a sensor to avoid over-chlorination , One multi-valve system to distribute the treated wastewater to the irrigation system of the park, Piping to refill trucks with treated wastewater to irrigate other parks off the network, Submersible pump to distribute treated wastewater for park irrigation or refilling water trucks, A control panel for the operation of the system, Drip irrigation piping system to enhance the irrigation of the park
Please indicate the TRL associated with your Best Practice
TRL9 : Actual system proven in operational environment (competitivemanufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies)
Flow rate (m3/day)
13700.00
Flow rate
Capacity of Treated Wastewater 13700 m³/day, System flow rate 25m3/day for 160 days per year
What is the necessary area to implement your Best Practice (m2) ?
25.00
Salinity (mg/l)
0.79
Suspended solids SS (mg/l)
22.00
COD (mg/l), Chemical Oxygen Demand
55.00
BOD5 (mg/l)
12.00
Phosphorus content (mg/l) (orthophosphates, other)
3.00
Nitrogen content (mg/l)
18.00
Pathogens
NA
Flow rate (m3/day) of treated NCW
25.00
What is the impact on the beneficiaries of your Best Practice ?:
The benefit for the beneficiaries is that the use of treated wastewater to irrigate the park and other green spaces saves a total of 4,000,000 litres of water per year, allowing this volume to be allocated to other non-potable or potable uses. Moreover, there was a social component of this best practice which was the implementation of educational activities for children, having a significant positive impact on youth along with their teachers, by raising their awareness on water isuues. A dedicated event for the students on water conservation took place at the Park.
Total Cost (€):
62200.00
Comment : Total Cost:
(not including substantial replacement of equipment)
O&M Cost (€):
60.00
Comment : O&M Cost:
<60€ /month
Capital Cost (€):
55.00
Ecosystem, Landscaping, Other (Please specify below)
Other Treated NCW use
Urban irrigation & Green areas & Parks restoration and maintenance
What is the quantity of treated NCW generated by the Best Practice that has been sold to the user (m3/day) ?
25.00
Price of treated NCW (€/m3)
0.46
How your Best Practice is economically feasible ?
The Municipality pays for the maintenance of the system (signed MoU). The costs are acquired though the Municipal taxes and a cost saving between using treated wastewater and fresh water is observed
Is your Best Practice economically viable ?
10
Is your Best Practice environmentally sustainable ?
10
If there was a sustainability assessment carried out, what are the result of this assessment ?
No sustainability assessment has been carried out in this project. The use of the treated wastewater was supported by evidence from previous related projects implemented in Cyprus (e.g use of treated wastewater in other parks Park of Academia)
Please indicate the other various social impact of your Best Practice :
Preservation of living environment, Sustaining natural ecosystems
What the improvement is induced by your Best Practice Solution?
Increase positive impact (social/economic/environmental effects)
To which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) your Best Practice contributes?
SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG13: Climate Action, SDG17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
What are the lessons learned from the implementation of your Best practice ?
The key lesson learned from this best practice is that using treated wastewater for park irrigation can save significant amounts of clean drinking water. This approach is particularly valuable in periods of high water scarcity, as the reuse of treated wastewater for non-potable purposes provides a sustainable and effective solution. An additional component of this best practice was the implementation of educational activities for children, which had a significant positive impact on youth by raising their awareness of water conservation and sustainable water management. A one-day water awareness event took place on the 26th of April 2023 at the Park of Spyros Kyprianos. In total, more than 90 students and 5 teachers participated. The students explored the water cycle, and the ways humans alter it and how are they being affected; they discussed non-conventional water resources and played an interactive game that was developed exclusively for the Programme.
Please indicate the acronyms of used &/or developed technologies/Tools:
Chlorination, Filtration