The transition towards a circular water economy (CWE) involves new governance challenges raised by adapting existing water loops with new and different types or qualities of water, new risks, and a new set of stakeholders involved.
Co-creation processes are key tools to engage current and new stakeholders to further improve institutional arrangements and water reuse management strategies. Co-creation workshops contribute to win-win strategies to face new challenges and to manage and reduce potential risks, as well as to collectively ensure adequate rules and governance approaches.
On Thursday 9 June 2022, a live online co-creation workshop was held with relevant stakeholders and agencies in Eilat, Israel, one of the Project Ô demosites. During this workshop, participants discussed and identified potential solutions to problems related to the implementation of the new water loop at the National Center for Mariculture.
Based on the potential problems identified during the workshop, stakeholders identified two possible solutions based on their priority, feasibility and efficacy:
- Planning for the future
Participants mentioned that it would be useful to conduct a thorough audit of the different end users in the area, the different geographical locations of the end users, and the amounts of water each end user would require. According to the participants, this involves planning ahead to see who the different customers for the different parts of the application are. Participants also said it would be useful to formulate research questions in practical ways that take long-term planning into account.
- Tailor-made solutions for individual challenges
Participants mentioned that profitable solutions should be tailor-made to respond and adapt to individual challenges. It is imperative to take a multi-disciplinary approach to integrate novel technology units into existing systems.
Participants agreed that government buy-in and investment is necessary to realise and promote these solutions.
