wasser^plus OWL
A Cross-sector network for the water industry in East Westphalia-Lippe
Climate change, shifting demographics, land use change, technological innovations, and changing consumer behaviours are driving comprehensive adjustments to water management strategies that cannot be achieved through sector-specific or local measures alone. This particularly applies to resource-oriented water management, which must adapt to more frequent and intense extreme events such as heavy rain, drought, and drinking water emergencies.
At the same time, the need for a renewables-based energy transition is adding pressure to act as resource-efficiently and climate-neutrally as possible. In order for such future measures to be accepted by consumers, maintaining profitability combined with extensive price stability is an important factor.
These increasingly complex challenges require inter- and transdisciplinary solutions for sustainable water management, in which the joined collaboration between local institutions and stakeholders, as well as cooperation at the regional level will be of central importance.
Therein lies the relevance of our cooperation platform wasser^plus OWL, thanks to research funding by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Culture and Science.
The platform facilitates networking opportunities for the water management departments at the the University of applied Sciences and Arts OWL campuses in Detmold and Höxter. Due to its specific regional characteristics, East Westphalia-Lippe (EWL) is a reference point for rural municipal public services such as water supply and wastewater disposal. The Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), also a regional network member, connects the wasser^plus OWL network to the urban realm.
The networking of the RUB with the water associations operating in the Ruhr area aims to serve as a transfer example for the EWL region. The City of Detmold, the Detmold district government, the districts of Lippe and Höxter, Stadtwerke Detmold GmbH, and Stadtentwässerung Paderborn are also launch team members of the network as cooperation partners in the water management practice.
We work across sectors, as past research and development projects in multiple areas demonstrate that cross-sector collaboration is how we can and must meet technical and organizational challenges stemming from demographic and climate change. The problem often lies in the implementation. Effective implementation must incorporate integrated solutions, where early on all stakeholders, including urban planning (keyword: integrated rainwater management), the energy industry (keyword: wastewater heat recovery) and agriculture (keyword: nutrient recovery from wastewater), for example, come together to develop trust, plan, build, and operate in an integrated manner. Intensified cooperation not only enables the mobilization of a wide variety of resources, but also increases planning security through robust solutions. This results in favourable opportunities for the successful implementation of innovative and visionary approaches in water management.
Project Goals and Tasks
Goals to be realized during the funding period:
- Identify stakeholders in the water sector and other related disciplines, such as urban and landscape planning
- Improve communication and cooperation between the authorities of the participating districts and municipalities
- Better integrate other disciplines into the field of water management
- Outreach and awareness-raising of current and future challenges in the water sector and the need for transdisciplinary cooperation
- Increase students' awareness of water resources and facilitate information about the water industry as a career of choice to counteract the water workforce shortage
- Promote and integrate young talent in the field of water management through interactive formats, talent development programs, and innovation camps for students
Cooperation Partners
Advisory Board Members
| Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Giga | Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband , Head of Future Initiative |
| Andreas Henke | Environmental Agency District of Herford, Head of Water/Waste Management and Immission Control Department |
| Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Seipel | Environmental Management Bielefeld, First and Technical Operations Director |
| LRBD Dipl.-Ing.Bert Schumacher | Head of Department 52 of the Detmold District Government and Deputy Chairman of the DWA NRW |
| Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Witte | Vice President for Research and Development, TH OWL |
Funded by
Funding period: May 2023 to April 2027