Water as a Strategic Resource—The Resilience of Water and Wastewater Systems Under Crisis Conditions and the Implementation of EU Directives
A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1302
Special Issue Editors
Interests: drinking water; water safety plans; risk assessment; reliability of water and wastewater systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to address the latest scientific and practical developments in the field of drinking water treatment and supply systems, with a particular focus on the implementation of the revised EU Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184) and the newly adopted Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (2024/3019). This issue will bring together contributions from academic researchers, water industry professionals, and public authorities to explore innovative approaches, policy implications, and real-world case studies related to water quality, infrastructure management, and regulatory compliance. Key themes include the following:
- Innovative Water Treatment Technologies
Advances in membrane filtration, adsorption, enhanced coagulation, advanced oxidation, and hybrid methods for the effective removal of emerging contaminants, including PFAS, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and microplastics.
- Digitalisation and Smart Water Networks
Development and application of smart sensors, real-time monitoring, hydraulic modelling, leakage detection systems, and cyber–physical integration to enhance operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
- Crisis Resilience and Risk Adaptation
Evaluation of water and wastewater systems’ resilience to extreme weather events, blackouts, and other infrastructure disruptions, with an emphasis on climate adaptation strategies.
- Risk-Based Management and Regulatory Compliance
Implementation of Water Safety Plans, development of proactive risk assessment and monitoring tools, and harmonisation with EU regulatory frameworks, particularly under the DWD and UWWTD.
- Energy–Water Nexus and Climate Neutrality
Synergies between water services and energy transition goals, including adoption of low-carbon technologies, circular economy solutions, and alignment with national and EU decarbonisation targets.
This Special Issue invites high-quality original research, technical notes, and review papers that contribute to a better understanding and improved performance of water systems in the context of modern regulatory, environmental, and technological challenges.
Prof. Dr. Izabela Zimoch
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Iwona Kłosok-Bazan
Co-Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- risk management
- drinking water and wastewater quality
- energy-water nexus
- smart water networks and technology
- microcontaminants removal
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