New Sweco Report Highlights Urgent Need for Integrated Water Management Across Europe Amid Rising Climate Pressures

New Sweco Report Highlights Urgent Need for Integrated Water Management Across Europe Amid Rising Climate Pressures

(IN BRIEF) Sweco’s latest analysis highlights the growing and interconnected pressures facing Europe’s water systems, including flooding, water scarcity, and declining water quality, all of which are intensifying due to climate change, pollution, and ageing infrastructure. The report finds that these risks are not adequately reflected in current pricing or investment decisions, creating a widening gap between the true cost of water and what is currently accounted for. With significant portions of Europe experiencing water stress and billions in damages from flooding, the need for integrated and forward-looking water management strategies is becoming increasingly urgent. Sweco emphasizes that solutions exist, including advanced treatment technologies, infrastructure renewal, and improved planning frameworks, and outlines six key actions to enhance resilience. By adopting these approaches and addressing water challenges as a unified system, Europe can better safeguard its water security, public health, and economic stability.

(PRESS RELEASE) STOCKHOLM, 5-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Sweco has published a new analysis warning that Europe’s water systems are facing mounting and interconnected pressures that pose significant long-term risks to resilience, economic stability, and public health. The report, Too much, too little, too polluted, highlights how flooding, water scarcity, and declining water quality are increasingly occurring simultaneously, while current pricing structures and investment strategies fail to reflect the true scale of these challenges.

Drawing on extensive European datasets and Sweco’s technical expertise, the analysis shows that climate-driven weather extremes, widespread pollution, and ageing infrastructure are converging more rapidly than existing planning frameworks can accommodate. Each year, approximately 20 percent of Europe’s land area and 30 percent of its population experience water stress, while flood events in 2024 alone caused an estimated €18 billion in damages and impacted over 400,000 people.

At the same time, water quality concerns are intensifying. Around 32 percent of groundwater bodies across Europe are affected by diffuse pollution, largely linked to agricultural activities. Additionally, contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and persistent “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are now being detected in the majority of European water systems, raising concerns about environmental and health impacts.

Mattias Salomonsson, Water Expert at Sweco, emphasized that Europe’s water-related challenges can no longer be treated as isolated issues. Instead, flooding, scarcity, and pollution must be addressed collectively as parts of a single, interconnected system. Without integrated management approaches, these risks are expected to escalate, placing further strain on infrastructure, economies, and ecosystems.

A key finding of the report is the widening gap between the actual long-term cost of water management and what is currently reflected in water tariffs and infrastructure investments. Much of Europe’s water infrastructure was designed decades ago for different environmental conditions and lower treatment requirements. Today, inefficiencies such as leakage—accounting for around 20 percent of treated water in many countries—highlight the need for modernization.

Sweco’s modelling suggests that implementing advanced treatment technologies to remove micropollutants would increase average water costs by approximately 6 percent across Europe. The impact would be particularly significant in countries where water prices are currently relatively low, including Sweden, Ireland, and Netherlands.

Salomonsson noted that the real cost of water extends beyond immediate consumer pricing, encompassing future risks such as flood damage, supply disruptions, regulatory changes, and environmental degradation. Addressing these challenges early through targeted investment and strategic planning can help mitigate escalating costs over time.

To support more resilient water systems, Sweco outlines six priority actions for policymakers, utilities, investors, and insurers. These include implementing mandatory water risk assessments, developing long-term municipal water strategies, renewing ageing infrastructure, adopting resilience-focused operational models, integrating water risks into financial decision-making, and promoting land-use planning alongside nature-based solutions to reduce flood and pollution risks.

Examples of such approaches are already being implemented across Europe. These include advanced wastewater treatment initiatives in Germany and Belgium, climate-adaptive urban design in Denmark, circular rainwater management systems in the Netherlands, long-term drought planning on Jersey, and enhanced dam safety and flood risk reassessments in Norway.

The report forms part of Sweco’s Urban Insight series, which explores key challenges in urban development from a citizen-focused perspective, and aims to guide both public and private stakeholders in strengthening Europe’s long-term water resilience.

* The analysis by Sweco is based on a review and synthesis of publicly available data, notably a 2021 survey by the European Federation of National Associations of Water Services (EurEau), which covers the situation in 29 EurEau member countries. Sweco used its experience from micropollutant removal in Germany, applied it to EurEau’s cost data and derived a rough estimate of the resulting water price increase in Europe – driven by expanded wastewater treatment for micropollutant removal.
Sources

In addition to the above EurEau data, Sweco draws from sources such as these throughout the report:

• European Environment Agency, Europe’s State of Water 2024
• Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), European State of the Climate 2024- Flooding
• European Commission, Poorly managed water

About Urban Insight by Sweco
Urban Insight is a series of insight reports written by Sweco experts on various aspects of urban development from a citizen perspective. The full report and previous reports are available here.

Media Contact:

Anna Elisabeth Olsson
Head of Press and Public Affairs
anna.e.olsson@sweco.se
+46705573326

SOURCE: Sweco AB