Practical guidelines and tools

Our library of tools and guidelines, designed to help you define your own pathway to water recycling, from basic groundwork to advanced planning.

IN THE LOOP – our three-edition guide to get started with water recycling.

• Issue #1: Rethinking water – and getting started together
• Issue #2: From vision to action – time to show what works
• Issue #3: From measures to strategy – inspiring pathways
  
  Sign up here to get the three editions by e-mail, one after the other.

Recommendations for rolling out water recycling in the Baltic Sea Region

• These recommendations represent the hands-on perspective of practitioners from municipalities & local water companies that worked together within the WaterMan project from Jan 2023 to Dec 2025. They are based on practical lessons learnt in the course of creating real-world pilot measures, elaborating  feasibility studies, as well as drafting local & regional strategies for water recycling. Guiding questions were: What can other municipalities & water companies in the Baltic Sea Region learn from the experiences made within the WaterMan project for getting started with water recycling? How could they be more effectively supported by regional & national authorities as well as the EU in this context
  Download the recommendations
  Read the background interview on lessons learnt in the WaterMan project

Planning tools for preparing water recycling measures

• Extreme Weather Layer (EWL)
  This software is a spatial planning and GIS-based tool used in to simulate stormwater system responses to intense rainfall and flooding. It maps flood risks and identifies locations for nature-based solutions (NBS) or grey infrastructure upgrades to enhance city climate resilience, incl. water recycling measures like raingardens or stormwater retention ponds / multi-dams. It was developed by the NOAH project, and further refined within the WaterMan project.
  Go to Extreme Weather Layer website

• The QMRA Tool by KWB
  This online tool is designed to support Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) for human health in the context of water recycling. Whether you’re evaluating the safety of treated wastewater or other reclaimed water sources, this tool helps you to assess potential health risks associated with microbial contaminants. The tool was developed by the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water (KWB), inter alia within the WaterMan project, and is completely free to use.
  Go to QMRA Tool website

Water Recycling PR Toolkit

The following materials are free to use by anyone who intends to promote water recycling around the Baltic Sea – or any other humid regions in Europe and other parts of the world.

Infographics for explaining water recycling in theory & practice

• Water recycling in the Baltic Sea Region
• Visualisations of specific use cases of water recycling:
  • Stormwater recycling for fountain operation and greenery irrigation
  • Diverse utilisation of stormwater with the aid of “multi-dams”
  • Natural stormwater retention for use in municipal services
  • Rain garden for the greening of a public car park
  • Recycling municipal wastewater for irrigating green spaces
  • Recycling treated wastewater for agricultural use
  • Recycling treated wastewater for commercial use
  • Recycling treated wastewater for hydrogen production
  • Recycling treated wastewater in public buildings
  • Recycling public swimming pool water for canal flushing

Videos for introducing water recycling & its benefits:

• Introduction to water recycling in the Baltic Sea Region
• Real-world examples of water recycling in the Baltic Sea Region
• Tutorial video “How to use the BSR Water Recycling Toolbox & Helpdesk” (available again soon!)

Videos on typical use cases of water recycling in humid areas:

• Stormwater recycling for fountain operation and greenery irrigation in Saldus / Latvia
• Diverse utilisation of stormwater with the aid of “multi-dams” in Västervik / Sweden
• Natural stormwater retention for use in municipal services in Gargždai / Lithuania
• Rain garden for the greening of a public car park & recyling swimming pool water in Braniewo / Poland
• Recycling municipal wastewater for irrigating green spaces in Kalmar / Sweden
• Recycling treated wastewater for agricultural use in Svaneke, Bornholm Island / Denmark
• Recycling treated wastewater for commercial use in Berlin / Germany

Easy-to-read background stories on typical use cases of water recycling:

• “A Fountain of Ideas”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Stormwater recycling for fountain operation and greenery irrigation” in Saldus / Latvia
• “A Multi-Perspective Shift”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Diverse utilisation of stormwater with the aid of multi-dams“ in Västervik / Sweden
• “A Pond Designed for The Future”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Natural stormwater retention for use in municipal services” in Gargždai /Lithuania
• “The Low-Hanging Fruit of a Rain Garden”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Rain garden for the greening of a public car park” in Braniewo / Poland
• “Let It Flow”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling municipal wastewater for irrigating green spaces” in Kalmar / Sweden
• “Simple Filter, Major Shift in Perspective”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling municipal wastewater for agricultural use” in Svaneke, Bornholm Island / Denmark
• “With a Focus on What is Feasible”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling treated wastewater for commercial use” in Berlin, Germany
• “Using Recycled Water to Become an Energy Island”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling municipal wastewater for hydrogen production” in Bornholm / Denmark
• “Several Pipes, One Goal”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling treated wastewater in public buildings in Kalmar, Sweden” in Kalmar / Sweden
• “A Fresh Dive into Water Recycling”
  The full story behind the WaterMan pilot action for “Recycling public swimming pool water for canal flushing in Braniewo, Poland

Easy-to-read background stories on regional pathways of water recycling:

• “Moving Ahead with a Clear Focus”
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Västervik Municipality / Sweden
• “Going the Extra Mile for Water Recycling”
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Klaipėda Region / Lithuania
• “One Island, Many Solutions”
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Bornholm / Denmark
• “Spread the Facts”
  “The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Berlin-Brandenburg / Germany
• “The Power of Local Action”
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for the City of Braniewo / Poland
• “Water Recycling, Fast Forward”
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Kalmar Municipality / Sweden
• “From Opportunity to Strategy“
  The full story behind the water recycling strategy for Kurzeme Region / Latvia

Easy-to-read background interview on lessons learnt in the WaterMan project

• “The lesson is: Just get started”
  Interview with Lead Partner Tobias Facchini and Project Coordinator Jens Masuch who look back on the project and share their most important lessons