EEA identifies water saving measures for EU’s most water-intensive sectors

Sectors that use the most water also offer the greatest potential for savings. That’s why the European Environment Agency (EEA) has identified sectors responsible for the highest levels of water abstraction in the EU and proposed targeted efficiency measures. These findings are outlined in the new report ‘Water Savings for a Water-Resilient Europe’, published on June 4.

According to the EEA-report, the EU abstracts 200,000 million m³ of water per year. Between 20,000 – 80,000 million m³ or 10-40% of the total abstraction could be saved with effective implementation of water saving measures and incentives. In the EU, based on the average between 2000-2022, water abstraction for power plant cooling accounts for 36%, followed by agriculture at 29%. Public water supply (including drinking water, households, and tourism) represents 19%. The manufacturing sector accounts for 14% of total water abstraction.

Together, these four sectors account for 98% of total water abstraction of economic sectors in the EU and they have significant potential to improve water use efficiency, states the EEA-report that was produced by the European Topic Centre Biodiversity and Ecosystems ‘Contributions of water saving to a climate resilient Europe’. The study highlights opportunities to reduce water use across sectors.

Water saving opportunities in energy sector

The energy sector can shift to more efficient cooling systems and non-fossil fuels, adopt technical innovations, and make use of waste heat from power plants in industry or district heating systems. According to the researchers a combination of these measures could reduce water abstraction by up to 95% relative to the sector’s current water abstraction. Emerging sectors such as data centres and hydrogen production are also likely to create new challenges for water resource management. Data centre cooling is already leading to additional water demand, which can pose new sustainability challenges. Hydrogen production, a key contributor to the energy transition, could also significantly increase demand for high-quality water.  

Water saving opportunities in agriculture

Agriculture abstracts less water (29%) than the energy sector, but it is responsible for the highest share of water consumption. It accounts for 50% of the total water consumption from all sectors. A large portion of cooling water is returned to the environment after use, so cooling water consumption represents only 20% of the total water consumption. In general, water abstraction and consumption vary significantly both across sectors and regions. The water saving potential in agriculture is estimated at 20% of total water abstraction. This can be achieved by reducing losses and leakages in water distribution, replacing surface irrigation with drip or subsurface irrigation, implementing smart farming techniques and selecting drought-resistant crops.  This study points to a theoretical water saving potential1 of 5-20% of the abstracted volume in agriculture,  

Water saving opportunities in public water supply

The public water supply (including drinking water, households, and tourism) is responsible for 19% of water abstraction in the EU. Water saving measures that can be taken are maintaining and upgrading water transfer and distribution pipes. Further expanding the installation of water saving household appliances, promoting water saving practices. Reducing water losses (non-revenue water), water that is produced but lost before it reaches the customer or is not billed, is also emphasized in the study. In the tourism sector reducing evaporation from open-space green areas, reducing water use for snowmaking in skiing resorts and reducing water use in hotels, pools and restaurants are mentioned. According to the study 20-50% could be saved in the public water supply, including 10-30% in the tourism sector.

Water saving opportunities in the manufacturing sector

The manufacturing sector accounts for 14% of total water abstraction. This sector can save water by increasing water recycling and reuse. According to the researchers they can also apply a wide range of available sector-specific water saving measures. Implementing water saving measures could reduce water abstraction by 30-50% in the manufacturing industry.

Water Resilience Strategy

To improve the adaptation of Europe’s water management to address the rapid and large-scale changes driven by climate change and over-exploitation, the European Commission has launched the EU Water Resilience Strategy. All Member States are asked to reduce their water use by 10% by 2030. Each Member State may choose how it meets this target.