Elk is located in the north-eastern Poland, in one of the country’s most beautiful and valuable natural area. The town's population is over 60,000 inhabitants, and the area is 21 km2. The town is a regional service and industrial center. It is also increasingly becoming a tourist center, using natural values ​​of the Elk Lake District.
Nearly 21% of the town's area is covered by land under surface water (lakes and rivers). Lake Elckie is the eighth deepest lake in Poland. Industrial use of the lake in the past and influx of pollutants from the catchment area negatively affected water’s purity. Reclamation activities were started in 1998, but turned out to be ineffective. Water pollution is aggravated by strong urbanization and a small amount of biologically active areas. The natural, social and economic values ​​of Lake Elckie are extremly important for the life quality and the further town’s sustainable development.
Types of innovative solutions we are looking for:
- methods to improve purity of a surface water,
- water management,
- ecological development of tourist places by lakes and rivers,
- green spaces in dense urban area,
- urban mobility.