On March 21, 2025, the historic Town Hall in Görlitz hosted the inaugural meeting of the CRossWATER project, dedicated to transboundary groundwater resource management in the European twin city of Görlitz-Zgorzelec, within the context of climate change adaptation.
The meeting was officially opened by Octavian Ursu, Mayor of Görlitz, and Rafał Gronicz, Mayor of Zgorzelec, who outlined the framework of Polish-German cooperation and signed the project’s official partnership agreement.
During the thematic session, academic perspectives were presented by Prof. Ewa Łupikasza (University of Silesia) and Prof. Andreas Hartmann (TU Dresden), who emphasized the crucial role of science and interdisciplinary research in sustainable water resource management.
Practical aspects of groundwater management in the region were discussed by Matthias Block (Stadtwerke Görlitz) and Zbigniew Zdanowicz (PWiK Zgorzelec), who highlighted current challenges and the need for cross-border collaboration. In addition, PhD Zhao Chen (TU Dresden) and PhD Sławomir Sitek (University of Silesia) presented the project’s main objectives and implementation methodology. The Institute was also represented by PhD Kinga Ślósarczyk and MSc. Krzysztof Janik, who actively participated in the discussion and planning of future project activities.
A total of 69 participants attended the meeting. More information about the project can be found on the website: https://us.edu.pl/crosswater-nowy-projekt-badawczy-naukowcow-z-wnp-us/ and information from ongoing fieldwork on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crosswater25/?viewAsMember=true
