The project main objective is to develop new environmental technologies for efficient, future-proof drinking water production in coastal areas, able to cope with mounting levels of DOC. The rapid uptake of the R&D innovation will be ensured through intense collaboration of different utilities, research institutes and technology providers, as well as through abatement of the exorbitant investment costs associated with production plants and pilot research.

• 4 integral pilot plants ready for R&D
• Pilot testing of several innovative technologies to prove their efficacy, leading to rapid market uptake
• A cross-border testing facility open to pilot new innovations from technology providers and to test surface water from several production sites.

Contractors and technology providers will profit from preparation of the pilot sites. The latter will also benefit from access to the cross-border testing facility.
Utilities and the citizens will benefit from sustainable, cost-efficient drinking water treatment, and ultimately from better water quality.

Increasing DOC in surface water is a serious threat for drinking water in the coastal 2 Seas area. Within a single country, the total number of drinking water facilities relying on surface water is rather limited but the investments in R&D and full-scale treatments are huge. This makes innovation slow and location-specific. Promising technologies exist but are not validated yet in an integrated process. Scientific knowledge is fragmented and exchange of experience cautious. Cross-border cooperation within 2 Seas areas is therefore essential to create critical mass and reach the intended change.