Coastal touristic towns, villages and settlements around the Baltic Sea experience seasonal fluctuations of wastewater generation, leaving wastewater treatment systems insufficient in the summer tourism season. 

The wastewater treatment systems are often designed according to low season and prepared to accommodate wastewater of significantly fewer people compared to actual needs during the peak tourist times, e.g. treatment plants that are designed with capacity less than 2000-person equivalent. This creates various problems from unpleasant smell, overloaded municipal wastewater treatment plants to further contamination of the Baltic Sea, which is already in poor health.  

Finding a different wastewater technological solution especially adapted to tourist areas, would reduce the nutrients inputs to the sea and improve the status of the Baltic Sea.   

The project´s overarching goal is to find an alternative wastewater treatment solution specifically adapted to tourist areas that will reduce nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea. It is recognised that the challenge of adaptation to high seasonality requires a broader approach than just technological solutions. Therefore, the project aims to provide a comprehensive method to address this issue.   

The project's novel approach involves piloting different approaches to treat excess wastewater during the peak tourism period, such as constructed wetlands, nano-bubble aeration and wastewater effluent irrigation in agriculture. During the project, six pilots will be held in Denmark, Poland, Latvia and Finland, testing better wastewater solutions. We will conduct a life-cycle assessment (LCA) analysis of new solutions and ensure the widespread replication of obtained results.  

In addition, we have gathered extensive data sets and prepared GIS maps of wastewater treatment plants in the tourist regions for all Baltic Sea Region countries. This effort has been enriched by a thorough technology review for wastewater treatment adapted to seasonal flows caused by intensive tourism. We have also defined technology boundaries for pilot projects and conducted large-scale wastewater surveys in Sweden, Latvia, and Estonia to improve knowledge of everyday operational problems. The project also includes practical study visits, knowledge and experience exchange, peer-review as well as environmental assessments and business incentives.  

NURSECOAST-II connects 16 partner organisations from 8 countries in the Baltic Sea Region. Thus, the project demonstrates the potential for a high macro-regional impact, with a regional focus, as the solutions differ depending on the coast's characteristics, e.g. for the sandy coasts of Poland, Germany, Lithuania compared to the rocky archipelagos of Sweden, Finland and Estonia.   

 The project's primary beneficiaries are local public authorities, tourist operators, companies, and infrastructure and public service providers.