Header - Acronym and Title

icon priority
2 - Green and resilient shared environment
SO 2.1 - Climate change adaptation

BLUE RECHARGE

Blue credits for water aquifers recharge and sustainability

Information - Card

Information

Start date
01/02/2024
End date
31/07/2026
Total budget
1.989.789,43
Partnership
IT - 4
HR - 4
Project typology:
Standard project

Project specific objectives - Card

Project specific objectives

  • The goal is to ensure the sustainable management of groundwater by balancing abstraction with natural recharge and improving aquifer resilience.
  • The goal is to introduce an innovative incentive system (Blue Credits) to promote aquifer recharge through technical, financial, and market-based mechanisms.
  • The goal is to develop a shared knowledge system and raise public awareness to support data-driven decision-making and community engagement in groundwater protection.

Project main outputs - Card

Project main outputs

  • Output 1.1 - How to create a mechanism of blue stewardship
  • Output 2.1 - Pilot actions in Italy and Croatia: blue credits and
    MAR
  • Output 3.1 - Blue Stewardship connected to MAR as adaptive
    strategic approach

About section

About

The project aims to address these challenges in Croatia and Italy by promoting sustainable groundwater management. It focuses on maintaining good groundwater quality and quantity, enhancing aquifer recharging rates, and fostering collaboration between public authorities, research institutions, and private companies. The project will introduce an incentives system called Blue Credits to support aquifer recharge actions, creating a market for buying and selling credits.

Additionally, the project will develop an integrated knowledge system to identify aquifer recharge areas and vulnerabilities, raise awareness among water users, and demonstrate the feasibility of technical solutions like managed aquifer recharge. Ultimately, the project seeks to provide guidelines for implementing groundwater resource policies in Croatia and Italy, ensuring the long-term sustainability of groundwater management.

ItItacro2127PortletLeaderpartnerCard

Lead partner

The Lead partner represents and takes full financial and legal responsibility for the entire partnership.

City of Vodnjan-Dignano
Department for Economy and Environmental Protection

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News & Events

  • NEWS
    04/02/2026

    Water, Technology and the Future: Insights from Newsletter Issue 7

    Issue 7 explores the role of public water utilities, the hidden water footprint of digital technologies, and insights from an international Rijeka conference on innovative approaches to sustainable groundwater management and long‑term water resource protection.

  • NEWS
    30/01/2026

    Inter-regional conference & workshop

    In Rijeka on 27 January 2026, experts from Croatia, Italy, and Spain presented pilot MAR projects, the "Blue Credits" mechanism, and SAT-MAR solutions for climate-resilient groundwater in karst areas.

  • NEWS
    25/12/2025

    Round Table in Vodnjan: Water as a resource of the future – the blue credits model in Istria

    A round table titled “Water as a resource of the future – the blue credits model in Istria” was held in Vodnjan, where participants discussed how to protect southern Istria’s groundwater from over‑abstraction and salinization using managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and tailored economic instruments such as prices, quotas and blue credits, while respecting water as both a human right and a public good.

  • NEWS
    17/12/2025

    Newsletter #6 – Highlights and Upcoming Activities

    The sixth newsletter highlights key stakeholder discussions, policy developments and upcoming events focused on advancing innovative and sustainable approaches to groundwater management and water resilience across Europe.

  • EVENT
    14/12/2025
    Date:
    27 Jan 2025

    BLUE RECHARGE INTER-REGIONAL CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP 27th January 2026