Representatives from Spain, France, and Portugal involved in the GestEAUr project met on June 11 and 12 in Pau (France), where they took the opportunity to visit two regional water treatment plants and held various meetings with local partners to learn more about the state of water resources in the area.
The European project GESTEAUR held a new working meeting on June 11 and 12 in the French city of Pau, where representatives from the nine consortium partners from Spain, Portugal, and France shared technical, scientific, and strategic progress of this transnational initiative aimed at sustainable and digital water management in rural areas of the SUDOE space.
During the meeting, which took place as part of the project’s regular activities, progress was reviewed across various work areas, with special focus on the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for the treatment, reuse, and improvement of water quality. The current status of the technology catalogue was also presented, this key document compiles and evaluates techniques based on their applicability, ease of maintenance, and suitability for the realities of small rural municipalities.
One of the most significant moments of the meeting was the sharing of results from the five diagnostics conducted in the project’s pilot areas: La Moraña and Guadiana-Extremadura in Spain, Miño and Alentejo in Portugal, and Béarn in France. These studies, focused on identifying the water needs of each territory, will serve as a foundation for adapting technologies and developing the digital tool SID_AQUARURAL, which will function as a “digital twin” to optimize decision-making on the integrated water cycle using artificial intelligence.
The meeting also served to review the development of the technological pilot projects. Updates were presented on the modular potable water purification systems in Tiñosillos (Ávila), Nogales (Extremadura), and Elvas (Portugal), as well as on wastewater treatment solutions using electro-stimulated wetlands in Fontiveros, Cartaxo, and Torres Vedras. Additionally, the initial results of the innovative solar photoreactor installed at the Lescar wastewater treatment plant (Béarn region) were discussed. Developed by the French CNRS, this device aims to enhance disinfection and eliminate emerging contaminants through solar energy.
On the second day of the meeting, technical visits were made to the Guindalos drinking water treatment plant and the Lescar wastewater treatment facility, allowing for a valuable exchange of experiences with water authorities and operators from the French region. These visits underscored the practical dimension of the project, its territorial implementation capacity, and its potential for replication.
The consortium agreed to continue working in a coordinated manner on technology validation, data collection to feed the digital tool, and preparation of communication and dissemination actions. The next in-person meeting is expected to take place in 2026 in the city of Ávila (Spain), where the project’s closing event will be held.
