Environment: ENEA, three solutions for water saving and reuse in Bologna

Three solutions for water saving and reuse have been tested in Bologna that could serve as a model for other cities: a raised garden with a water reservoir at the bottom, a hydroponic growing tower, and a rainwater collection tank. These best practices are part of the “Acqua in circolo” (in English, water in circulation) pilot project, in which ENEA is participating together with the Municipality of Bologna, Anci Emilia-Romagna, and Green City Network as part of the European NiCE project ^[1].

Over the course of a year, ENEA organized an “Urban Living Lab” with meetings open to the public to address the topic of water saving, including practical advice for better water use in homes, vegetable gardens, and gardens. The designed and implemented solutions were supported by “Aquaponic Design”, a spin-off of the University of Bologna that designs and builds soil-less cultivation systems (aquaponics, hydroponics, bioponics, etc.).

After the meetings, three groups of citizens were involved in testing the implemented solutions. A raised garden with a water reservoir was installed in the municipal gardens on Via Saragozza, a hydroponic cultivation tower was installed in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Bologna, and a rainwater collection tank with an integrated phytoremediation system was installed in the courtyard of the Porto 15 co-housing complex. Over the months, the citizens involved in the project were able to monitor the three solutions in the field, assisted by experts, to identify potential areas for improvement.

In addition to the “Urban Living Lab”, a “School Living Lab” was organized, consisting of four meetings led by ENEA with several elementary and middle schools in the city. ENEA water-saving tips, such as using the shower instead of the bathtub or collecting cold tap water before it heats, were the focus of these meetings. Furthermore, middle school students were asked to collect data on the water crisis and water reuse and to take direct responsibility for moderating consumption in their own houses.

“The ‘Acqua in circolo’ activities have allowed us to engage citizens, associations, and public and private organizations in Bologna to jointly experiment with concrete solutions for using water more efficiently and circularly in the city”, observes Sara Cortesi, NiCE project manager for ENEA and researcher at the ENEA Laboratory “Tools for Sustainability and Circularity” who, together with the Laboratory “Technologies for the Circular Management of Water and Wastewater”, oversaw the pilot project. “The Bologna experience – she continues – will also contribute to the creation of the 'solution box' that will be produced by the project, a collection of methods, tools, guidelines, and best practices to help other citizens and local governments make their cities more sustainable, following the NiCE approach”.

The “Acqua in circolo” experience will be presented at a dedicated event during the next edition of the Ecomondo fair in Rimini (event ).

To learn more: https://www.acquaincircolo.enea.it/