FRESH4Cs partners
The FRESH4Cs project has 10 partners from the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Vlakwa/VITO
Vlakwa is Flanders Knowledge Center Water and functions as an independent division within VITO.
Vlakwa is involved in different national and international projects and platforms, bringing together actors from industry, government and research. Vlakwa’s mission is to contribute to a robust water system, which means that all users have water of the right quality at the right moment. As such, providing sustainable water in the coastal regions is a key objective.
FRESH4Cs will have a large contribution to this mission as it will provide sustainable water resources to coastal users instead of (depeleting) unsustainable resources.
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council (UK) is the local administrative authority, responsible for supporting sustainable economic activity. The Council is experienced in developing innovative approaches to delivering high profile multi-beneficiary projects, such as large-scale flood risk alleviation schemes. The Environment Strategy Team leads the Holistic Water Management Project which is delivering a joined up,
catchment-based approach to managing water scarcity, flooding and the water environment in coastal Suffolk.
HZ University of Applied Sciences
HZ-UAS (NL) is a regional Dutch knowledge and education institute dealing with the challenges of coastal deltaic systems. The research of HZ into water technology focuses specifically on water quality, water availability for production, water (re)use efficiency and recovery. In HZ’s technological research capabilities are added with a strong expertise in defining and effectively addressing the needs of various stakeholders. By adding an in-depth perspective on stakeholders’ requirements early on in the project, the rate of adoption and the added value of new technology, may be increased significantly.
IWVA
IWVA is the public drinking water company, serving the region Veurne Ambacht, Belgium. IWVA implemented waste water reuse through RO membranes in 2002 and this resulted in sustainable
groundwater management and less pressure on ground water bodies. IWVA has built up experience on alternative sustainable water resources over time. We have experience with water reuse, but also with groundwater recharge.
VLM
VLM (Belgium) is a public organisation that focusses on improving the quality of the environment in rural regions and periurban open spaces. VLM invests in improvement of environmental quality in Flanders using a range of instruments: land and nature development, land reallocation, agro-environmental measures, manure bank and land banking. VLM is the Managing Authority for different articles in the Flemish Rural Development Programme. As water is a steering factor in rural development we have experience with management of surface and sub-surface water.
Felixstowe Hydrocycle
Felixstowe Hydrocycle (FHC;UK) is owned by 6 farming businesses, all operating intensive vegetable farms in coastal Suffolk. They have extensive experience in the development, construction and financing of intensive irrigation resources. They have combined their forces to help address their water resource challenges of the future. In FRESH4Cs they will invest in alternative water resources such as water transfer and buffering and managed aquifer recharge.
University of East Anglia
Since its foundation in 1967, UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences (UK) has become one of the largest and most fully developed interdisciplinary institutions of its kind in Europe. The School provides a stimulating, innovative and active research environment for the study of natural and human environments. Research centres in the School include the Climatic Research Unit and the Anglian Centre for Water Studies that address flood and drought risks.
Dow Benelux
The aim for Dow (NL) is to become resilient to climate change and independent of remote fresh water supply originating from the Biesbosch, 120 km away. Therefore Dow actively works on water savings, recycling and multi-sourcing. Dow pursues collaborations with local governments and other end users in industry and agriculture to find regional solutions. DOW has a large experience in water management at a regional (and plant) scale. DOW has invested over the past years in this robust water system for the region, not only in providing for its own water resources but also in aiding other regional water users.
Lamb Weston
From the fields where the potatoes are grown, to proactive customer partnerships, Lamb Weston / Meijer has a clear sustainability ambition and always raises the bar. Our objective is to reduce our direct water use per tonne of finished product and our blue water footprint in water stressed areas. In our factories we have our WEE (Water, Energy and Environmental) Teams to improve our water usage and implemented Innowater, which purifies our wastewater for reuse in processing. And we promote drip irrigation among our growers to grow potatoes in water stressed areas and actively share best practices with them.
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is the Environmental Regulator for England. We work with partners to deliver environmental improvements through policy, regulation, technical assessment and advice. The East Anglia team is involved in seeking solutions to the water resource challenges in Suffolk coastal area - licensed abstraction volumes are unsustainable and businesses require improved access to water, rather than the cuts needed to achieve sustainability and compliance with the Water Framework Directive. We are looking to use East Suffolk as a testbed for new technologies and processes, in advance of legislative reform.