Brief intro to the WaterMan pilot measure
In the city of Kalmar in south-eastern Sweden, treated wastewater effluent originating from a municipal wastewater treatment plant is disinfected by further filtration and UV light treatment and then used to water green spaces. The process: treated wastewater that has been discharged back into natural waters is pumped from the wastewater treatment plant’s discharge channel into a mobile container. There, filtration and UV light are used to reduce the content of microorganisms. A mobile tanker then transports the water to the green areas, which are irrigated directly from the tanker using a hose system.
In terms of quality, the water meets the criteria of water class A and is also authorised under EU Regulation 2020/741 for the irrigation of edible plants in agriculture. From a purely technical point of view, this high quality would not even be necessary for watering green spaces. However, it offers the additional advantage of promoting acceptance of the new method among the personnel involved.
- Location: Kalmar (Sweden)
- Water source: Treated wastewater from wastewater treatment plant
- Type of treatment: Disinfection by filtration and treatment with UV light
- Target water quality: Water class A (EU Regulation 2020/741)
- Utilisation: Irrigation of green spaces
- Return to natural purification cycle: Infiltration
- Implementer: Kalmar Municipality
- Open for visitors: from August 2024 (contact > see below)
"Let it flow" - read the full story behind the pilot measure
After several droughts, it became clear that the municipality of Kalmar in Sweden urgently needed a new water strategy. The other important conclusion was that in order to develop it quickly, everyone should just get down to work and test out alternatives. Here is a report from a place where there is a lot going on and everything is flowing in the right direction. Read more...
In-depth information on the pilot measure
Technical-organisational concept (final design)These slides provide a more detailed overview on the pilot measure.
The evolution of the concept (from 2023 to 2025)These slides give an account of the work process behind the chosen technical-organisational concept, incl. considerations, recommendations and decisions taken at different stages. Scroll through the slides to chronologically follow the iterative “development journey” of the pilot measure step-by-step, from the initial idea to its present status!
