Recycling public swimming pool water for canal flushing

In Braniewo, Poland, water from the public indoor swimming pool is treated in a local recirculation system so that, after several stages of purification, it can be used for municipal purposes, such as cleaning the sewage system. Specifically, it is the drinking water regularly used to backwash the pool’s filter system. Up to 50 percent of this backwash wastewater can be reused. The closed-loop treatment of this water includes coagulation (flocculation), sedimentation, as well as natural dechlorination and odour removal.

The system is designed to have the potential to achieve water quality benchmarked against classes A/B under EU Regulation 2020/741. Over the coming months, this level will be validated in live operation through routine monitoring to ensure it can be met reliably and consistently. Overall, the measure enables the recovery of around 15 percent of the pool’s total drinking-water consumption that would otherwise be discharged to the sewer during daily operations.

• Type of pilot measure: Real-world implementation
• Location: Braniewo (Poland)
• Water source: Wastewater from a public indoor swimming pool
• Type of treatment: Natural dechlorination, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation
• Target water quality: Quality class A/B according to Directive (EU) 2020/741
• Utilisation: Cleaning of the sewage system, other municipal purposes
• Return to natural cycle: Discharge into sewage system
• Responsible: Braniewo Municipality / Gdańsk University of Technology
• Operational & open for visitors: Since Sept 2025

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