Urban wastewater treatment faces increasing challenges in Portugal, including the management of emerging contaminants and growing water scarcity due to climate change. This makes rivers more dependent on treated wastewater from urban and industrial sources, highlighting the need for more sustainable management.
The LIFE Fitting project provided a solution. It deployed the PLAN-DO toolbox, a set of five digital tools that monitor, predict, and optimise wastewater treatment plant performance while prioritising resource-efficient strategies.
This approach improved water quality, reduced discharge fees, cut CO₂-equivalent emissions annually, and guided safe investment decisions. By training water professionals and informing policy, it also offered a practical, replicable path to sustainable wastewater management.
