Updates

Between April and September 2025, the UPWATER project conducted a participatory multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to identify and prioritize effective measures for preventing and mitigating groundwater contamination in the Besòs Delta aquifer (Spain) and the Athens Region aquifer (Greece). The process unfolded in two stages.… Read More »UPWATER Identifies Governance and Policy Priorities to Prevent and Mitigate Groundwater Contamination in the Besòs and Athens Region

In a recent study by the UPWATER project partner IDAEA-CSIC, researchers tested a novel hybrid constructed wetland system to tackle contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in wastewater. The system combines floating root mats (FRM) and bioelectrochemical wetlands (BW), both enhanced with biochar, to target a… Read More »Biochar-enhanced wetlands show promise for removing emerging contaminants from wastewater

Meet Tiago Carvalho, a pioneer at the UPWATER project. As an environmental engineer and consultant at TARH – Earth, Environment and Water Resources, Tiago plays a key role in connecting scientific innovation with real-world application. With expertise in groundwater and aquifer management, he ensures that… Read More »Pioneer Portrait: Tiago Carvalho

As Principal Investigator for the University of Barcelona (UB) in the UPWATER project, Cristina Domènech plays a key role in tracing pollution sources, an essential step in groundwater research. Additionally, as Technical Coordinator, she manages meetings, deliverables, and reporting. In this Pioneer Portrait, she shares… Read More »Pioneer Portrait: Cristina Domènech

One of the biggest challenges in protecting our groundwater is understanding where pollution comes from. The UPWATER project, which focuses on protecting and enhancing groundwater quality, has developed an innovative tool to tackle this issue: the SOUPY code. But what exactly is SOUPY, and how… Read More »Understanding SOUPY: a new approach to identify groundwater pollution

Water is one of our most important natural resources, but its quality is increasingly threatened by pollution from the industry, agriculture, and everyday water use. Fortunately, innovative solutions are emerging to protect and enhance water quality. Within UPWATER, we are testing some of these solutions,… Read More »How to engage the next generation in water sustainibility?

Meet Jeff Camkin, a pioneer at the UPWATER project. With over 30 years of experience in water, fisheries, and agricultural policy, resource allocation, stakeholder engagement, research, education and advocacy, Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to UPWATER’s mission to protect and… Read More »Pioneer Portrait: Jeff Camkin

Meet Marta Rusiñol, PhD in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology at the University of Barcelona (UB). In the UPWATER project, Marta’s role is to test and validate viral passive samplers (VPS) for virus detection in groundwater. With a background in environmental virology and an interest in… Read More »Pioneer Portrait: Marta Rusiñol

Along the Besòs river in Barcelona, innovative nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate groundwater pollution are deployed and validated at pilot scale. Clara Laguna-Marín, PhD student at IDAEA-CSIC, hosted a recent visit where Laura Scheiber (also from IDAEA-CSIC) and Andrea Reuvers from Future City Foundation, were… Read More »Exploring the UPWATER pilot plant along the Besòs river

The UPWATER project is dedicated to addressing the complex challenges of groundwater contamination, combining expertise from various disciplines and stakeholders. Alicia Sanz Prat, Work Package (WP) leader for stakeholder engagement, policy assessment, and governance, brings her insights into the project’s collaborative approach and its impact… Read More »Pioneer Portrait: Alicia Sanz Prat