Shared view of future freshwater resources management

Following the drought of a few years ago we are harshly confronted with the limits of our water system in the Netherlands, in the opinion of KWR geohydrologist Klaasjan Raat. ‘Freshwater availability rose to the top of the administrative agendas.’ His colleague Ruud Bartholomeus, Principal Scientist of the Ecohydrology team and KWR’s Chief Science Officer, adds: ‘Drinking water utilities have to take into consideration other users, such as nature, agriculture and industry. As researchers, our task is to provide an independent perspective of where the problems lie. We are not swayed by the day-to-day discourse, public opinion and politics. KWR assumes the role of providing promising solution pathways, of identifying problem areas.’ Raat aptly summarises how KWR works on freshwater resources management: ‘We support the public debate with fact-interpretation, communication and long-term vision.’

Making connections

Since the drinking water sector’s playing field is changing, there is a need to make connections. ‘Freshwater resources management is not something you do on your own,’ says Bartholomeus. ‘Drinking water utilities need and want to sustainably embed their activities in the local environment.’ The Water in the Circular Economy (WiCE) programme is actually focused on collaborating with water partners. The WiCE project, Connecting the Water Cycle and the Water System for a Better Balance of Water Demand and Supply, which was concluded in 2024, offers a fruitful means of further promoting water systems thinking and modelling in practice. The project produced a framework that shows how a measure taken in one sector has repercussions on another. ‘We see a growing need for water systems thinking and modelling,’ says Bartholomeus. ‘Because freshwater resources management is now not only a matter of technical details, but mostly of a shared view of the direction that the water system needs to move in. This is why creating a support base for the measures required at this time is important. This is a pretty complicated matter.’

Conscience of the water sector

A good example of a follow-up to the above project is the more detailed elaboration of the Drought Agenda which was drawn up for the Province of North Brabant. The agenda’s ultimate goal is a robust water system by 2040. Brabant Water was one of the 13 signatories of the 2021 Groundwater Covenant (Dutch), which is at the origin of the Drought Agenda. Not an easy process, as Marleen van der Velden, policy-advisor at the drinking water utility, knows. ‘We abstract our water from groundwater, and are running into more and more challenges in the process,’ she says. ‘For me, the restoration of the water system is North Brabant’s most important challenge. Agriculture, nature and industry make claims to the same water. Although Brabant Water is already seeking other sources, such as brackish water and seawater, fresh groundwater will always remain our most important source. In discussions with others, we therefore need to ensure that our sources hold their position.’ For the Drought Agenda, on a commission from the Province of North Brabant, KWR has provided outstanding support in demonstrating the interconnections between the different measures, Van der Velden continues. ‘KWR is very strong in the visualisation, the translation of complex material into compelling infographics. This also allows us to include people in the discussion who are less acquainted with the content. I also think it is great that KWR is objective and reasons on the basis of the facts. Even when, as a drinking water party, it might hurt me a little. Sometimes you need to put your own interests aside for the sake of the greater good.’ You could say that KWR is the scientific conscience of the water sector. Does Van der Velden also see it that way? ‘Yes, I do actually. And the researchers keep me sharp, their knowledge enriches me. This helps me be an expert partner in discussions with others.’

Cross-sectoral knowledge

The knowledge about additional sources that KWR develops for the drinking water sector can also be applied in the wider water sector. This is shown in Responsible Infiltration and Recharge (Dutch), which is one of the projects within STOWA’s DROOGTE! Knowledge Programme. The goal is to provide practical tips in research into whether and how infiltration and groundwater recharges can be conducted responsibly, while preserving water quality. ‘This question has been raised by Water Authorities and provinces,’ says Rob Ruijtenberg of Bureau WeL, responsible for the project management on commission from STOWA. ‘We have asked KWR to define the substantive knowledge about measures for soil infiltration. End-users need to know that they can follow the desirable route that safeguards both the water quantity and the water quality.’ The project was approached in a collaboration between KWR, Deltares and FLO Legal, a legal consultancy specialised in water. This combination of physical, substantive expertise and knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework was necessary because, from a legal perspective, uncertainties still remain when it comes to soil infiltration. ‘Even the word “infiltrate” means different things in the two domains,’ says Ruijtenberg. ‘If you put water into the ground without the intention of recovering it, from a legal perspective this amounts to discharging it. That is not the case in hydrology. It was therefore necessary to develop a common language, which we succeeding in doing.’ The project report containing decision trees is expected in April. Ruijtenberg knows that the actors are ready to move quickly. ‘There is now a framework that has been tested in a number of case studies. Water Authorities, provinces and municipalities are keen to get down to work. How it turns out in small-scale cases, and whether it is practically feasible, remains to be seen. But I am very confident.’

Strategies for the long term

Researchers Bartholomeus and Raat look forward to the developments in freshwater resources management in 2025. They point to the exploration of brackish groundwater as an additional source in the Freshman project at Dunea, which is close to completion. And to the four-year European RECREATE project, which has actually just got underway. In this project KWR and PWN are working, among others, on a decision matrix for the development of adaptive water management pathways. Raat: ‘RECREATE embodies the changes concerning freshwater resources management since 2018. We no longer work only on the building blocks of sufficient water of good quality and additional sources, but also on strategies for the long term.’ The wet summers of recent years and the swirling political winds demand special efforts that retain attention, warns Bartholomeus. ‘Working on freshwater resources management means that it will no longer be possible to do everything everywhere. Which drinking water sources you use and where, for instance. Or what kinds of agricultural activity you conduct, and in which area. These questions present us with a complex challenge that affects everybody. KWR will help by providing the solid support to meet it successfully. We are more than scientists. We are researchers, with feelers for what matters in practice and policy. Only in this way can you make a meaningful contribution.’