Background The water supply needs in European cities have increased due to population growth and the pressures of certain sectors, such as the tourist services sector. Therefore, future plans for water resources must be designed in order to guarantee a sufficient short-term and long-term supply of drinkable water. Moreover, the inefficiency of the potable water provision network is increasing due to wear and tear and the obsolete conventional measuring systems which are the causes of important losses in the distribution network. Therefore, there is a need to establish measures aimed at dealing with the water demand in a more balanced and sustainable way. Objectives The main objectives of the project were: • To reduce the potable water consumption in the Autonomous City of Ceuta; • To prove that this reduction is possible with three concrete actions: o Installation of telemeters, o Detection of leaks and; o Better exploitation of subterranean water for cleaning streets and watering gardens. • To improve the efficiency of the potable water supply network. • To involve citizens (general population, young people and businessmen) in a responsible reduction of water consumption. • To spread the results of the project to other peripheral or ultra peripheral cities or regions who are have the same problem and to exchange experiences at the National, European and International levels. • To promote a modification in the current local legislation in order to oblige the installation of remote meters in new buildings. Results The Autonomous City of Ceuta has had water troubles for several years. These problems mainly concerned: 1. Shortage of water resources to meet the increasing demand for drinking water. 2. Inefficient water supply system. 3. Poor exploitation of subterranean non-drinking water. The shortage of water resources was solved when the Spanish Department of the Environment, after local pressure, assisted in the construction of a Desalinisation Plant for sea water. The second and the third problems have been tackled in this LIFE project "DROPAWATER". The DROPAWATER project has proved that the application of new technologies and other innovative methods are key elements in reaching a sustainable management of the water in Ceuta. First of all, the meters which have been installed use state-the-art technology. The specialised software allows the consumers to access data about their water consumption through an internet tool and to adjust their levels of consumption accordingly. The results of a study made in 3.800 houses, has shown that the demand for potable water has been reduced by 10 % (the proposal had forecasted 8%). Furthermore, to detect water leaks, all the water supply pipes were checked out metre by metre during the night using the most advanced technology methods. In order to avoid traffic-jams and other inconveniences, the works to replace damaged pipes were mainly carried out using the system “Compact Pipe/Roll Down”. In this way, the damaged existing pipes were sheathed into a new polyethylene pipe jacket. This system avoided the breaking of the piping, noise pollution and hazards for pedestrians due to the obstruction of the road with works. The company has carried out further detection campaigns as a continuation of the project. Furthermore, the beneficiary ACEMSA is studying the possibility of creating a “leak detecting brigade” that would carry out continuous detection campaigns. By comparing the supply periods, it has been noted that after the leak detection, Ceuta reduced the daily supply by 2,979 m3. In other words, Ceuta has saved 2,996 € a day (the consumer pays 1.006 € for a cubic metre). The implementation of this task cost 921.9 € a day, so it has been advantageous from a financial point of view. Moreover, the exploitation of the non-drinking underground water for watering gardens and cleaning the streets has meant that around 60/70 m3 can be effectively used everyday instead of being flown directly into the sea. The City Council will enlarge this non-drinking water network to the entire city and it is also planned to reuse the future waste water treatment plant effluent for this purpose. Finally, the dissemination campaign has reached 3,000 students, a large number of professionals, and almost 100% of the Ceuta population. It has been an important element in achieving the positive results obtained. The main environmental benefits obtained were: • A lower demand for drinkable water. • A lower consumption of the natural resource. • A lower number of semi-permeable membranes to desalinate through reverse osmosis. • A reduction in energy consumption by each cubic metre of desalinated water. • A consumption of chemicals in the filtration plant. • Implementation of a methodology to get citizens involved. In addition, when the new meters reach the end of their working life (10-12 years), they can be recycled (except the electronic parts) by the supplier and sent back to the company at half price.