GAIA - Water demand of green infrastructure and its medium/long-term impact on drinking water supply

Climate change adaptation measures such as green infrastructure (GI) are becoming increasingly important in urban water management and urban planning. GI have a microclimatic cooling effect, which reduces heat islands and improves the quality of life in urban areas. However, this natural cooling effect can only be achieved if sufficient water is available for the plants used. This project investigates the water demand of green infrastructures, which is required to maximize their multifunctionality (e.g. cooling effect and increase of biodiversity). The identification of alternative water resources, the quantitative availability, the qualitative requirements and a cost-benefit analysis of the use of alternative resources for the irrigation of GI will also be carried out. Urban development scenarios for climate change-adapted greening are derived for representative case studies in Austria. These scenarios support the restoration of the local water balance and form the basis for irrigation demand forecasting models based on machine learning methods. These models are used to forecast irrigation requirements taking climate change into account. The simulations are intended to show the effects of the medium and long-term irrigation requirements of GI in urban areas on the drinking water supply. In addition, the potential of using alternative water resources to save drinking water in the long term will be determined and thus contribute to a more efficient use of drinking water and to the long-term security of water supply in Austria.