The WATERGRID project
Full project name: Nature Based Smart Water Grids for Integrated water and drought management (WATERGRID)
Duration: September 2025 – August 2029 (48 Months)
Budget: € 7.9 Million
Consortium: 22 organizations from 13 countries
As Europe faces increasingly frequent and severe droughts, traditional water management systems must evolve. WATERGRID is pioneering a smarter evolution: the Nature-Based Smart Water Grid (SWG).
Our mission is to enhance existing infrastructure by merging the ecological power of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) with the precision of digital intelligence. By integrating natural water retention, such as restored wetlands and floodplains, into a smart, monitored network, we create a resilient “blue-green” infrastructure that supplements traditional systems to secure water availability even in extreme climates.
Beyond Water Management, we are driving:
🌍 Climate Resilience: Preparing European regions for the extremes of tomorrow.
💧 Water Quality: Using natural filtration to reduce pollution and nutrient pressures.
📈 Economic Sustainability: Demonstrating that nature-integrated approaches offer significant long-term savings compared to purely “grey” infrastructure.
Our approach
A European Living Laboratory
WATERGRID operates through 8 Demonstration and Validation Sites across four distinct European biogeographical regions: Atlantic, Continental, Mountain, and Mediterranean.
These sites serve as our real-world laboratories. Together, they provide the necessary evidence to prove that Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are not just “green ideas,” but high-performing, measurable components of a modern Smart Water Grid (SWG).
Our Five Core Objectives
In each laboratory, we work to operationalize the SWG concept to:
💧 Slow, move, and store water more effectively
💧 Reduce pollution and nutrient pressures
💧 Enhance drought resilience
💧 Support healthy ecosystems and sustainable water use
💧 Provide real-world evidence for the SWG concept
The impact
Scientific Leadership & Replicability
We will develop and showcase the efficacy and replicability of the Smart Water Grid (SWG) concept by collecting data on the benefits for drought resilience and biodiversity across four biogeographical zones. We move beyond theory to prove exactly how much water can be saved and how much biodiversity can be restored.
Economic Resilience & Business Cases
WATERGRID is bridging the gap between ecology and economy by developing business cases for Smart Water Grids. We will collect evidence for their long-term financial benefit.
Socio-Ecological Transformation
Our impact reaches far beyond the water pipe. By revitalizing wetlands and natural landscapes, we create “co-benefits” for local communities, such as enhancing biodiversity, creating new spaces for recreation, and improving the overall quality of life and mental well-being for citizens living in drought-stressed regions.