Prof. Dr. Andreas Winter
Dr. Christian Schönberg
M.Sc. Azadeh Jalilian About the Project
Driven by climate change and stricter European regulations, urban water management faces unprecedented cross-border challenges. The Interreg VI A project Smart Monitoring of Urban Wastewater (SMUt) brings together municipalities, water boards (Wasserachten), and research institutions from Lower Saxony (Germany) and Northern Netherlands to revolutionize how we monitor, simulate, and manage urban wastewater and stormwater. The Challenge
With the adoption of the updated EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (2024/3019), local authorities and water management bodies are bound to intensive monitoring, data integration, and transparent environmental reporting. Managing combined sewer overflows during extreme weather events—while avoiding disproportionate administrative and financial burdens—requires smart, data-driven, and collaborative solutions across national borders. Our Objectives
Cross-Border Collaboration: Building a robust network connecting German and Dutch water experts, municipalities (such as Oldenburg and Emmen), and specialized institutions. Pragmatic Monitoring Strategies: Implementing cost-effective, sensor-based measurement approaches to infer complex water quality indicators. Data Integration & Interoperability: Paving the way for a secure, regional "Water Data Space" (aligned with Gaia-X standards) to integrate urban data platforms across the Ems-Dollart region. The Competence Atlas: Systematically mapping regional competencies, technical infrastructure, and organizational challenges to prevent duplicate developments and establish synergies. Future-Proofing: Preparing a comprehensive follow-up Interreg project to scale up operational data-sharing and predictive water modeling. | 
