Risk management and digitalisation to overcome barriers for safe reuse of urban wastewater for irrigation – A review based on European practice

Despite their multiple benefits and several successful case studies, water-reuse practices are still not systematically implemented Europe-wide and globally mainly owing to the lack of social trust and high governance complexity in water-reuse techniques and practices. Non-homogeneity in the water-reuse regulations is also highly relevant. To overcome these challenges, the European Parliament has recently approved the Regulation 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse to standardise the legal requirements of wastewater to be considered fit for reuse. This regulation also requires elaboration of Water Reuse Risk Management Plans (WRRMPs) for all reclamation facilities of the Union. This review aims to provide a general overview of the current limitations and gaps in systematically applying water-reuse practices, as well as recommendations that could overcome them. To this end, WRRMPs and digital solutions can play a crucial role because they can ensure the safe use of reclaimed water in agriculture and support communications to stakeholders, end-users and citizens. Guidelines to develop risk management plans and the current regulations regarding water reuse in Europe have also been extensively analysed in this study together with examples of digital support to risk management in water reuse.