The TRANSWATER project, funded by the Swedish Institute, successfully concluded in February 2021 after building transnational partnerships across Sweden, Poland, and Latvia to enhance water resilience in the Baltic Sea Region transitional coastal zones.
Project aims and importance
TRANSWATER tackled water issues in coastal zones near river mouths with partial salinity, crucial for ecosystems like wastewater treatment. These areas face risks from tourism, climate change, and poor wastewater management as summer cottages turn permanent. They experience water scarcity, eutrophication, salinity intrusion, and pollution, threatening the Baltic Sea, tourism, and human health amid rising temperatures and changing rainfall. Cross-border cooperation is vital for shared aquifers and the Baltic Sea, aligning with EUSBSR policies and UN SDGs on water and climate resilience.
Key goals and achievements
Goals included developing stakeholder networks, co-creating knowledge through workshops, and synthesizing regional water system recommendations. Achievements included country-specific workshops and detailed reports, such as K2’s analysis showing about 26,000 m³ of untreated wastewater discharge in Puck Bay annually. Cross-border exchanges identified causes like inadequate onsite systems and policy gaps. These findings, shared through reports and meetings, encourage stakeholders to adopt best practices to improve policies and infrastructure. Unplanned successes revealed stakeholders’ awareness of issues but lack of solutions, paving the way for adopting Swedish best practices.
K2 Solutions’ role
K2 Solutions, Poland’s partner, identified stakeholders like communes and water utilities, organized workshops, and researched seasonal tourism effects in Puck Bay and Hel Peninsula. They authored a report with recommendations on spatial planning, septic inspections, and awareness campaigns. These activities engaged mayors, environmental experts, and utilities, generating policy insights on illegal conversions and sewage issues, aiding the final synthesis.
Lasting impact and commitment
TRANSWATER’s reports and recommendations support resilience, influence local plans and EU funding bids. K2 Solutions focuses on Baltic water projects to promote sustainable tourism and environmental protection. Partners are encouraged to join follow-up meetings to discuss applying the recommendations, collaborate on new funding bids, or initiatives to ensure the project’s long-term success and sustainability.
