Murcia shares water reuse expertise in Crete

The Region of Murcia used a mid-May meeting in Crete to show how one of Europe’s driest areas is trying to stretch urban water supplies beyond conventional sources. The gathering was part of RESWATER, a Mediterranean cooperation project focused on urban water resilience and non-conventional water resources. (carm.es) Murcia’s delegation presented regional experience in water reuse and efficiency alongside partners from across the Mediterranean, according to the regional government and the project’s lead partner. (interregnextmed.eu) The meeting was held in Archanes Municipality, Crete, on May 13-14, 2026. (energywateragency.gov.mt) ### Why was Murcia in Crete in the first place? RESWATER brought partners together in Crete for its second project management and steering committee meeting, the Malta-based Energy and Water Agency said on May 22. The agency, which leads the project, said the sessions were used to review progress, coordinate the next implementation stages and exchange experience on water resilience, environmental pressures, stakeholder engagement and technical work across participating countries. The Murcia regional government said its delegation used the meeting to share work it has been developing for years on reuse and water efficiency. (carm.es) The event was framed as part of a broader exchange among Mediterranean territories facing similar water stress and climate-related pressures. ### What exactly is RESWATER trying to build? RESWATER is a 2.8 million euro project under Interreg NEXT MED with an 89% EU contribution, according to the programme’s project page. The project started on Aug. 8, 2025, and is scheduled to end on Aug. 7, 2028. (energywateragency.gov.mt) Seven partners from seven countries are involved. The lead partner is Malta’s Energy and Water Agency, and the consortium also includes organizations from Greece, Spain, Italy, Türkiye, Tunisia and Egypt, according to the project pages published by Interreg NEXT MED and the Energy and Water Agency. (carm.es) The project says it is focused on urban coastal catchments, where high population density, limited freshwater resources, pollution and seawater intrusion can strain water supply security. Its stated aim is to test decentralized non-conventional water resource solutions and fold them into Urban Water Management Plans rather than rely only on large centralized measures such as desalination, dams or end-of-pipe wastewater treatment. (interregnextmed.eu) ### What did Murcia put on the table? Murcia’s contribution centered on practical experience with reuse and efficiency in an urban setting, according to the regional government’s account of the meeting. (interregnextmed.eu) The presentation was part of an effort to compare pilot experiences and operating models with other Mediterranean partners. One example linked to Murcia’s urban reuse work is the LIFE Conquer project, which says it developed a system to reclaim contaminated groundwater for irrigation in the city of Murcia. The project says its outputs included cutting more than 11% of the city’s urban irrigation water footprint through 201,480 cubic meters a year of reclaimed water replacing potable and groundwater supplies. (interregnextmed.eu) The same project reported a reduction of more than 15% in total energy consumption in Murcia’s urban irrigation system and lower sodium hypochlorite use through on-site brine valorization at EMUASA facilities. Those figures help explain why Murcia is being presented by regional officials as a case study in reuse and efficiency rather than as a site starting from scratch. (carm.es) ### Why does the project focus on cities near the Mediterranean coast? Interreg NEXT MED’s project description says urban coastal catchments face a specific combination of risks: dense populations, limited inland freshwater, pollution and saltwater intrusion. RESWATER says it will assess future risks to water supply security by tracking trends in water availability and demand in those hotspots. (life-conquer.eu) The project also says it will build a catalogue of decentralized solutions, set up local living labs, create a regional community of practice and develop policy recommendations to address regulatory gaps. (life-conquer.eu) Those steps are intended to support adoption by municipalities, water authorities, researchers and policymakers. ### What happens after the Crete meeting? The Energy and Water Agency said the Crete meeting ended with discussions on the next implementation phases. Those next steps include seven urban demonstration units, technical assessments, stakeholder engagement work and the preparation of Urban Water Management Plans under the project framework. (interregnextmed.eu) RESWATER is scheduled to run until Aug. 7, 2028, and the project says it will also produce an online catalogue of decentralized solutions and a regional training course that will later be expanded into a massive open online course. (energywateragency.gov.mt) Murcia remains one of the participating territories expected to feed local experience into those outputs as the programme moves forward. (interregnextmed.eu) (energywateragency.gov.mt)