The ultimate aim of this action is to be able to reflect the economic effort undertaken by the CHD with its own funds to carry out a very complete river restoration with the best means, in accordance with the budgetary rules set by the Life programme.

Expected results:

• The expected results are the same as for Action C.1, as this action complements it.
• Promotion of the restoration of other hydraulic heritage items such as fountains and of their inclusion in land stewardship actions.
• Plant 350 ha of ACP and 200 ha of AP

The Medina del Campo Groundwater Body (MCGB) is located in the Duero River Basin, NW central Spain. Aquifer overexploitation due to irrigation, as well as urban and domestic water use has resulted in lowering of piezometric groundwater levels in the basin causing a chain reaction resulting in severe deterioration of most of the provisioning ecosystem services in the basin.

The main threats identified are the lowering of piezometric groundwater levels due to intensive aquifer exploitation during the last decades, diffuse agricultural pollution (NO3 contents up to 190 mg/L), and elevated As contents (up to 240 μg/L) of lithological origin.

Expected results:

• Identification and assessment of the effects on selected ecosystem services of groundwater management actions: intensive use of groundwater, agricultural activities, mitigation measures (artificial recharge, substitution of groundwater by surface water), natural hydro-chemical processes and natural extreme events.
• Developing methodologies to assess aquifer’s resilience to anthropic management (intensive use, artificial recharge) and to hydrological events.
• Gain knowledge and describe the role of groundwater ecosystems in reducing human vulnerability to risks related to intensive groundwater exploitation and to groundwater pollution.
• Developing methodologies to assess the status and evolution trends of the above mentioned ecosystem services of the aquifer.
• Assessment of groundwater-dependent wetlands ecosystem services and resilience to anthropic and climatic changes.
• Identification and assessment of management/mitigation measures.
• Identification of options for public-private financing of the provision of ecosystem services, paying special attention to the potential participation of insurance companies.

Anaerobic digestion provides possibilities to produce renewable energy from organic wastes in decentralized sites, producing methane rich biogas from manure and crop residues. Apart from supplying renewable energy this kind of plants have other positive effects including the strengthening of closed loop recycling management systems, reducing emissions from manure storage and producing a valuable organic fertilizer.

Expected results:

• Produce a more uniform and less polluting fertilizer than the original untreated manure (digestate).
• Treat the manure produced by at least 25.000 pigs from farms located in the area.
• Reduce methane emissions due to manure management.
• Reduce the fossil fuels used in the manufacturing of artificial fertilisers.

The main objective is to provide water treatment facilities in regions that currently lack of appropriate sewer systems and treatment and sanitation facilities, applying costeffective on-site technologies and source control methods.

Expected results:

• Provide wastewater treatment plants (109) before de end of 2026 to all urban agglomerations.
• Produced a wastewater effluent with the sufficient quality to comply with the EU standards and River Basin Duero requirements

This action shall look at how adequate water governance policies can reduce environmental trade-offs (e.g. loss of biodiversity and water quality reduction) whilst maintaining current uses. It will deepen the analysis of different options for cost recovery, gathering relevant evidence and knowledge in the case study basin as test cases on what is needed in terms of policies and supporting knowledge, as well as available tools to implement cost-recovery measures into general policies and activities.

Expected results:

• Design a robust methodology to measure cost-recovery, which also incorporates as a comparison an ecosystem services approach, through water pricing and its link to wáter governance policies (including a review of existing practices, canons and sanctioning regime).
• The main result of this action should be a guideline including the methodological approach and its practical implementation into the specific actions to be conducted along the project, as well as its piloting for the case study area.

Projects financed by the LIFE Programme under one priority area shall promote the use of green public procurement and the beneficiaries of this project are also concerned about the application of this instrument in their hiring processes to play their part in collaborating to becoming a more resource-efficient economy (e.g. in line with Priority Axis 4 of the INTERREG Programme), and for innovation.

Expected results:

• The CHD and the associated beneficiaries are major procurers and consumers and by using their purchasing power to choose environmentally and innovative friendly goods, services and works, they can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production.

The Coordinating beneficiary will hire external services for the implementation of an independent financial audit, to check the condition of economic development of the project and the final report of expenditures and revenues. The audit of the accounts will be held at the time of the interim payment and project completion.

Milestones:

• Submission of the 1st Audit report.
• Submission of the 2nd Audit report.
• Submission of the Final Audit report.

The expected impact from the actions to be implemented through this project would go beyond its life-cycle. Indeed, some of the current measures being implemented e.g. to comply with the EU Water Framework Directive in relation to the status of water bodies it is now recognised will take time before their true impact can either be seen or even measured.

Expected results:

• Measure and document the effectiveness of the projected actions compared to the initial situation, objectives and expected results.
• Generate annual reports about the evolution of the results of the project after its end date.
• Obtain conclusions about the effectiveness of concrete actions undertaken in the scope of the project and possible upgrades.