The EcoWater Toolbox has been developed during the EcoWater Project, a Research Project supported through the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission.
It is an integrated suite of on-line resources and tools for assessing the system-wide eco-efficiency improvements from innovative technologies, applicable to different water systems and sectors of water use. It integrates a technology inventory with detailed information on possible technologies for the eco-efficiency improvement of a water system, and database with several indicators for the assessment of the environmental performance of a water use system.
It has been designed to support the step-by-step implementation of the EcoWater Methodological Framework:
Step 1 – Case Study Framing
The toolbox supports the:
- Definition of the system boundaries;
- Mapping and description of the water supply chain (stages, processes and existing technologies);
- Value chain mapping, including all the actors (directly or indirectly involved) and their interrelations.
Step 2 – Baseline Eco-Efficiency Assessment
The toolbox provides access to tools for modeling the:
It estimates the:
- Environmental impact indicators;
- Total value added from water use;
- Net economic output of the involved actors;
- Eco-efficiency indicators.
Finally, the toolbox facilitates the interpretation of the baseline eco-efficiency assessment results
Step 3 – Identification of Technologies
The toolbox integrates a technology inventory, with detailed information on the possible technologies/practices for the eco-efficiency improvement of the water system.
Technologies can be selected from the inventory for implementation either throughout the water supply and wastewater treatment stages or within the water use processes (sector specific technologies).
Step 4 – Technology Scenario Assessment
The toolbox enables the assessment of innovative technologies by:
- Supporting the development of technology scenarios;
- Providing tools for modeling the impacts on the water system from the technology implementation;
- Facilitating the comparison of technology scenarios to the baseline results.