PRESS RELEASE: JINAG invited experts to propose a solution for water management in the Smart Líchy project and was inspired by representatives of municipalities

Water management is one of the pillars of the Smart Líchy project, which aims to build a sustainable urban district. Thanks to a sophisticated system for dealing with rainwater, wastewater, and groundwater, the project could save up to 50% of drinking water, representing a significant saving in both ecological and economic terms. Emphasis is also placed on minimizing the carbon footprint and strengthening the site's resilience to drought.

"Chytré Líchy represents an ambitious project that aims to create a completely new, sustainable urban district in Židlochovice. This project differs from the usual development construction by placing great emphasis on ecology, social life, and innovation," said Jan Vitula, Mayor of Židlochovice.

Experts assessed available water sources, including public water supply, groundwater, and rainwater, as well as recycling options. Based on economic and technical analyses, seven solution options were selected that fit the local conditions while being acceptable to the residents. The options include the use of a local water cycle as well as a combination with a central water supply for flushing and watering. The evaluation of each option took into account potable water savings, overall costs, ecological impact, carbon neutrality, independence of residents, stability, and complications for negotiation.

"We are currently in an area in the Smart Líchy project that is not a completely mainstream solution. That's why we decided to actively involve experts and representatives of local governments. Their experience and different perspectives will help us to find an optimal and feasible solution for efficient water management and at the same time inspire other municipalities to implement similar projects," said Jan Bárta from JINAG, an agency that provides comprehensive support in implementing innovative water management systems. 

Karel Plotěný from water treatment company ASIO, together with Jana Rose from the Technical University of Hamburg, presented innovative approaches to water treatment in this location, along with examples of similar solutions in Germany.

"Professor Otherpohl from TU Hamburg noted in one of his lectures that we can improve the sanitation system or look at it anew, holistically and from a sustainability perspective. This trend (also taught at TU Hamburg) is then represented by resource-based sanitation, which conceives of sanitation not as a solution to a hygiene problem, but holistically as the management of nutrients and the need to recycle them efficiently and to save resources, including water consumption. This is then related to taxonomy (CO2 production) and also to drought adaptation," said Karel Plotěný, Managing Director of ASIO TECH and ASIO NEW. "To make it more understandable - source-based sanitation implies the division of water into drinking and utility water and wastewater according to its origin into grey (water without excrement and urine) and black (water containing the majority of nutrients). This perspective and the division of water can then lead to more substantial changes in environmental impacts, especially in terms of sustainability. It is also necessary to take into account the conditions of the specific location in terms of hydrogeology population density and the availability of all possible resources. We have tried to apply this approach to the Líchy site. What is particularly valuable is how the process of developing the options and their subsequent evaluation was carried out. The experience will hopefully be transferable," added Karel Plotěný.

The part of the seminar was also a discussion on the importance of retaining treated water from wastewater treatment plants directly in the landscape in Židlochovice. 

"The Smart Líchy project has retroactively influenced how we think about water management. The retention of treated water from the WWTP is not possible according to our project so far because current legislation prevents us from doing so. However, this situation inspires us to expand our WWTP to include quaternary treatment, which is the degradation of micropollutants such as nanoplastics, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, etc.," said Tomáš Šenkyřík, vice-mayor of Židlochovice.

The seminar showed that innovative approaches to water management can be the key to sustainable development not only for Smart Líchy but also for other localities. The expert discussions offered a unique opportunity to participate in shaping visions that can inspire not only municipalities and cities in the Czech Republic but also other enthusiasts for sustainable development.

The Smart Líchy project was supported by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.