In the face of climate change, growing pressure on water resources, and the need to make cities more resilient to droughts and heavy rainfall, Europe needs a new approach to water management. This is exactly the need addressed by the DECIRE-WATER project, implemented under the Horizon Europe programme, in which we participate as one of two partners from Poland.
Our involvement in this project is a natural continuation of our work at the intersection of water and wastewater management, stormwater retention, climate adaptation, and the digital management of urban infrastructure. Our role is to promote the ideas behind DECIRE-WATER and support the transfer of knowledge into municipal, design, and operational practice.
What is DECIRE-WATER?
DECIRE-WATER (Smart, Decentralised Water Solutions for a Circular Future) is an international research and innovation project that began in June 2025 and will run for 36 months. The project brings together 15 partners from Europe and South Africa, working jointly on solutions for more efficient water management in cities.
The aim of the project is to develop solutions that will:
- reduce the use of potable water from the public water supply,
- increase the recovery and reuse of water,
- support modern approaches to treatment and disinfection,
- strengthen urban resilience to the effects of climate change,
- implement solutions in line with European requirements for water reuse.
The role of RetencjaPL – from a european project to market practice
We bring to the project expertise in professional communication, market education, and translating complex technical issues into language that is clear and accessible for practitioners and decision-makers. In our view, the success of projects like this depends not only on the quality of the technology, but also on whether their purpose and value are effectively communicated to cities, operators, designers, and public institutions.
That is why, within DECIRE-WATER, we focus on promoting the project’s key assumptions:
- rainwater and reclaimed water should be treated as resources, not merely as infrastructure-related problems,
- decentralisation can improve the safety and flexibility of urban systems,
- circular solutions require not only technology, but also a change in the way we think about planning, operation, and responsibility for water in cities.
“The DECIRE-WATER project shows that effective climate adaptation today requires combining technology, knowledge, and implementation practice. Our role is to promote these solutions and explain their significance for cities, designers, and public institutions. We want to support the market in moving from discussion about the need for change to concrete action in the area of the circular water economy,” says dr eng. Renata Woźniak-Vecchie, RetencjaPL.
Together with our partners, we are developing a digital tool that will make it easier for decision-makers and other stakeholders to use an extensive knowledge base. It will help them find the information they need more easily and make better decisions on the location of new facilities, based on data and research findings from the DECIRE-WATER project.
The joint presence of Polish partners in the project
A particular strength of the project is the cooperation between two Polish partners – Ecol-Unicon and RetencjaPL. Ecol-Unicon is responsible for the development and testing of technological solutions related to the recovery of rainwater and domestic wastewater in urban buildings. RetencjaPL, in turn, supports activities related to knowledge dissemination, raising market awareness, and building practical understanding of circular solutions.
This combination of technological expertise and communication and market-oriented competence is especially important where innovation must move from the demonstration stage to real-life implementation. In the water sector, the availability of technology alone is not enough. What is also needed is:
- institutional trust,
- an understanding of processes,
- awareness of benefits and limitations,
- the ability to embed new solutions within legal, technical, and organisational realities.
Why is this project important for cities and public institutions?
From RetencjaPL’s perspective, DECIRE-WATER is not only a research project, but above all a strategic one. Cities and public institutions are currently facing the need to respond simultaneously to several challenges: water shortages, overloaded sewerage systems, rising infrastructure operating costs, and regulatory pressure related to environmental protection and climate adaptation.
The solutions being developed within the project show that the future of water management will be based on:
- greater localisation of systems,
- better use of water available on site,
- integration of technology with management,
- an approach in which retention, recovery, monitoring, and reuse form one coherent operating model.
This is exactly the direction we promote in our expert activities: a safe, responsible, and data-driven approach to stormwater and urban water resource management. If you need advice on circular water economy solutions, take a look at our projects and get in touch with us.