Groundwater Climate Adaptation and Resilience Enhancement (GW-CARE)

Brief project description:

The GW-CARE project focuses on the challenge of the increasing vulnerability of groundwater resources due to climate change in the cross-border area of Slovenia and Austria. The regions along the Drava and Mura rivers face falling groundwater levels, prolonged droughts, and extreme precipitation events, which put pressure on aquifers that supply drinking water, agriculture, and industry. Current water management is often reactive, fragmented, and based on outdated or suboptimally used measuring sites, and it lacks tools for effective forecasting and coordinated cross-border action.

As a solution, the project proposes a shift from crisis response to proactive management through digitalization and artificial intelligence. An interoperable, open-source decision-support system will be developed, integrating hydrogeological, meteorological, and water abstraction data. This system will enable scenario modelling under future climate stress, real-time anomaly detection, and optimization of management strategies. A key element is a participatory approach, where tools will be co-created with stakeholders (water managers, decision-makers) through a cross-border “design thinking” process.

The project will generate concrete solutions through pilot measures on both sides of the border. In Maribor, Mariborski vodovod will test optimization of artificial aquifer recharge to ensure water reserves during drought periods and prevent contamination from the city centre. In Austrian Styria, the provincial government office will pilot disturbance detection in the network and inspection of wells based on data analysis. In this way, the project will lay solid foundations for long-term cross-sectoral cooperation, improve monitoring infrastructure, and ensure that innovative solutions are incorporated into regional and national water management policies.

The consortium consists of a leading private university, a regional water utility company, an environmental solutions institute, and an Austrian regional authority and university, ensuring a comprehensive approach from research to practical implementation.