GIREAU is studying sustainable and responsible urban water management, with a particular focus on the urban water cycle, urban water consumption, wastewater treatment for reuse, and the integration of water in buildings and the urban fabric. It aims to study the means of implementation as well as the implications of the “net zero water” concept, i.e., a move towards total net water consumption that is zero and has no impact.
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The Intersectoral Research Group for Sustainable and Responsible Water Management, GIREAU, is an INRS-funded emerging research group that began its activities in September 2024.
Background
The group brings together a critical mass of INRS researchers interested in the sustainable and responsible management of water in cities, covering rainwater, wastewater, drinking water as well as the natural environment for a building, a neighborhood, a city, or even a watershed. The development of joint research projects between the various INRS centres aims to cover a wide range of expertise, from hydrology to materials chemistry, including sociology and human health.
Chairholder
Objectives
Closing the urban water cycle and applying a new paradigm for water management requires the development of new technologies and new models, but can only be achieved if accompanied by new modes of water governance that meet the aspirations of citizens and do not have a negative impact on their health. Thus, four major research areas are being developed to address various issues:
A
Advanced solutions for the collection, transportation, and treatment of alternative water sources
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B
Impacts on human health of the consumption of water from various sources
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C
Social and political effects of a new paradigm of water management
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D
Consideration of the bilateral interactions between water services and ecosystems
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Partners and collaborators
Société québécoise de phytotechnologie