LIFE Ukrainian Urban Water Management Capability Springboard  

ongoing

The LIFE-U-SPRING project aims to strengthen water supply and wastewater treatment (WS&WWT) systems in Ukraine, aligning with EU standards. The project will address critical challenges in the WS&WWT sector by identifying, piloting, and scaling up technical, financial, and managerial solutions. With a particular focus on capacity building, the project will engage key stakeholders, including civil servants, managers of communal enterprises, technical specialists, solution providers, and consultants, through a series of training programmes, hackathons, and study visits, reaching directly 200 professionals. One of the project's core components is the creation of an online solutions catalogue, profiling 100+ case studies of proven WS&WWT solutions from Ukraine and the EU. The project will conduct baseline assessment of WS&WWT facilities in Ukraine, identifying technological and managerial gaps. Pilot projects, including 200 kW solar panel installations on selected facilities, regional-level working group and a project financing pilot will be implemented to demonstrate innovative approaches to resource efficiency and war risks resilience. The establishment of the WS&WWT Alliance and the Project Preparation Facility will foster cross-sector collaboration and ensure that the project’s outcomes are sustainable. Through a combination of digital tools, such as the Urban Water Management Portal, training programmes and an online course, and direct stakeholder engagement, LIFE-U-SPRING will ensure the dissemination of its results and the continued capacity building of the sector. This holistic approach will contribute to a resilient and sustainable WS&WWT infrastructure in the post-war recovery period. The project is continuing efforts of the Clean Baltic Source project funded by the Swedish Institute seed funding. Consortium (Ukraine, Finland, Poland) includes development agencies, local communities, associations of utilities and communities, water-focused University and a governmental agency.