About This Course
The course “Managing Risk in Circular Water System” introduces the key principles of risk assessment and management in water reuse. Participants will explore what risk means in circular water systems, why it varies across applications and regions and how risk evaluation has developed in the water sector. The course also presents the main risk categories and practical examples, together with tools such as safety plans, risk matrices and international guidelines. Learners will examine control points and monitoring strategies, as well as the roles of different stakeholders in managing risk. The course also highlights risk perception and public trust, offering tools and strategies for communication and stakeholder engagement. Through videos, readings, and interactive quizzes participants will gain both theoretical foundations and practical insights to address current challenges in risk management for circular water systems.
This MOOC has been developed by the consortium of researchers and practitioners coming from the University of Bologna (www.unibo.it, Italy),National Technical University of Athens (https://www.ntua.gr/en/, Greece), Ecofilae (www.ecofilae.fr, France) and ZSI (www.zsi.at, Austria).
This course is an important accomplishment of the Horizon Europe project BOOST-IN (https://boostin.eu/), which supports innovation and knowledge-sharing in the field of sustainable water management. For any inquiries regarding the MOOC, please contact Stevo Lavrnic (stevo.lavrnic@unibo.it).
Target
The course is primarily designed for young water professionals seeking to expand their expertise in sustainable water management and circular economy principles. However, it is also suitable for different stakeholders, such as policy makers, researchers and practitioners, interested in the field of water reuse.
Outcomes
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Define and explain the concept of a risk in water reuse and understand how it varies across applications, regions, and system types.
- Use key tools for risk assessment, including safety plans, risk matrices and international frameworks.
- Recognise control points within water reuse systems and outline appropriate monitoring and management strategies.
- Evaluate factors influencing risk perception and public trust and apply effective communication and stakeholder engagement approaches.
Requirements
No specific prerequisites are required to enrol in the course. A general background or interest in environmental sciences, engineering or water management may facilitate learning, but the course is designed to be accessible to a broad audience, including young professionals and students from related disciplines.
Activities
The course is organised into thematic weekly modules, each including short video lectures introducing key theoretical concepts, reading materials and fact sheets for in-depth exploration, as well as and self-assessment activities to connect theory to practice. The course is divided into different weekly modules:
- Week 1: Understanding risk in water reuse - what risk means in circular water systems, why it varies across applications and regions and how risk assessment has developed in the water sector.
- Week 2: Risk assessment tools and frameworks - introduction to safety plans, likelihood-impact matrices and key frameworks for evaluating and managing risks in water reuse.
- Module 3: BOOST-IN innovations - presentation of real-world case studies of applied circular water practices
- Week 3: Managing and monitoring risk - identifying control points, understanding the roles of utilities, regulators, and users, as well as exploring example monitoring plans based on case studies.
- Week 4: Communicating and risk planning - how risk perception influences acceptance, tools for transparency and engagement, and strategies for effective communication and stakeholder involvement.
Completion of a module quiz serves as the primary method of assessment and certification for that module. A quiz is considered successfully completed when the participant answers at least 60% of the questions correctly. Successful completion of all module quizzes constitutes successful completion of the MOOC.
After successfully completing the MOOC, you can download and print your Certificate of Accomplishment. If you require the BOOST-IN certificate for the MOOC or for a specific module, please contact Stevo Lavrnic (stevo.lavrnic@unibo.it).
Course Staff
Stevo Lavrnić
Stevo Lavrnić is an environmental engineer and is currently a senior researcher at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, where he has been carrying out his research activities since 2017. He is focusing on the agricultural water management and sustainable use of water resources, with particular interests for nature-based solutions and wastewater reuse. Stevo is currently the secretary of the management committee of the IWA (International Water Association) Specialist Group on Water Reuse.
Elena Koumaki
Dr. Elena Koumaki, is an Environmental Scientist with a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. Her expertise includes wastewater treatment, reuse, and the fate of micropollutants in the environment. She was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at Imperial College London, where she worked on risk assessment methodologies. She has contributed to over 10 European and national projects and to ICT4Water policy recommendations on dynamic risk assessment in EU directives and regulations.
Cameron McLennan
Cameron McLennan is environmental engineer with a masters degree in water management from AgroParisTech Univeristy in France. With 15 years of experience in Australia, South-East Asia and Europe, he brings technical and strategic expertise in alternative water management approaches. Based in Montpellier in the south of France, as part of the Ecofilae team, Cameron conducts expert mapping, technical and regulatory analysis for the development of new alternative water supply projects. He has also authored research on the evolution of water reuse regulations across Europe.
Pietro Drei
Pietro Drei is a research assistant at the University of Bologna (Italy), and his research focuses on designing safe and sustainable water reuse strategies and developing risk-based solutions to address climate-related challenges. His work aims to support climate change adaptation, particularly by mitigating drought stress and water scarcity in Mediterranean agricultural systems through the safe and sustainable use of reclaimed water. Pietro has also collaborated as a visiting researcher with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, contributing to research on agricultural water reuse and risk management.
Simon Malamis
Simos Malamis is a Civil and Environmental Engineer and graduate from Imperial College, the University of Oxford and the National Technical University of Athens. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering of the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. His research focus is on advanced technologies for wastewater treatment and resource recovery, water reuse, biological nutrient removal, membrane processes and nature-based solutions for water/wastewater purification, decentralized wastewater management and nexus implementation.
Daniela Fuchs
Dr. Daniela Fuchs is a technology researcher at ZSI – Center for Social Innovation in Vienna. She holds a MSc in Human Ecology from University of Vienna and a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from Maastricht University. Her research focuses on questions of policy advise, risks and governance, including participation, related to new and emerging technologies (e.g., nanomaterials, synthetic biology, neuroenhancement), and innovations more broadly, for example in the water sector.
