CUREE - Closing the water cycle to increase Urban Resilience to Extreme Events (2024-2026)
Temperatures in Sweden are predicted to increase by 3-5°C by 2080, with increases in the frequency of both summer droughts and winter rainfall events predicted. This is a particular challenge for urban areas, where their largely impermeable surfaces reduce recharge of groundwater bodies (contributing to water scarcity) and enhances surface runoff volumes (exacerbating flood risks and degrading water quality). Hence urban areas are increasingly a hot spot for both floods and droughts, raising the key question: can – and if so how – stormwater be leveraged to meet urban water demands?
Within this context, the multi-disciplinary CUREE project is working collaboratively with core partner Norrvatten, the national Stormwater&Sewers network and the international DRIZZLE, Centre for Stormwater Management to explore and evidence novel opportunities to close the urban water cycle as a mechanism to increase urban resilience to extreme events. Focused around two case study areas, specific activities include:
- develop simplified water mass balances to identify annual water inflows, flow regime, outflows and storage within two case study areas
- assess implications of predicted cycles of extreme rains and droughts on water availability for industrial and residential water users, runoff volumes and environmental flows
- monitor water quality to determine the contribution of wet weather flows to pollutant concentrations (chemical analysis) and biodiversity (environmental DNA) in surface waters
- model the impact of alternative BGI scenarios on the delivery of selected ecosystem services
- explore the stakeholder perceptions of using BGI networks and stormwater as an alternative water source with case study, Stormwater&sewers and DRIZZLE partners
This new knowledge base will inform evaluations of two novel approaches to enhancing urban water resilience: the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) networks as deliverers of multiple ecosystem services and the use of stormwater as an alternative water resource. Using semi-structured interviews, findings will be discussed with stakeholders to understand their perceptions, concerns and opportunities associated with implementing both approaches. Outputs of CUREE will increase knowledge on the sustainable use of stormwater to increase the resilience of current and future urban water security.
The application is funded by FORMAS under its “Extreme weather: effects, measures and solutions for a long-term sustainable and resilient society 2023” call and runs from January 2024 – December 2026. Project partners are Norrvatten as well as the research group Political Science at Luleå University of Technology.
Contact
Lian Lundy
- Visiting Professor
- 0920-49
- lian.lundy@ltu.se
- Lian Lundy
Ico Broekhuizen
- Associate Senior Lecturer
- 0920-493570
- ico.broekhuizen@ltu.se
- Ico Broekhuizen
Nils Brattgård
- Doctoral Student
- 0920-493832
- nils.brattgard@ltu.se
- Nils Brattgård
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