FAQ

What are the future directions of sampling from the water purification plants in the Netherlands?

We will continue with our regular sampling of several wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands

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Health
Emerging contaminants
From non-target screening to risk assessment

Non-target screening, bioassays and computer modelling can provide information about the structure, concentration and toxicity of unknown substances in water. Until now, these chemical, biological and computing methods have often been used…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Towards a knowledge programme for PVC pipe systems

We are researching how drinking water utilities can collect sufficient information about their PVC pipe systems in the years ahead, with a view to further improving the management of existing and yet-to-be-installed…

Read more about Towards a knowledge programme for PVC pipe systems
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Determining reliability of modelling of drinking water warming

Water utilities want to know at which locations in the distribution network, and during which periods, risks of excessively warm drinking water may occur, and what targeted measures…

Read more about Determining reliability of modelling of drinking water warming
Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Methods for decision-making under deep uncertainty

Progressing climate change, technological developments and population growth put our society and also the water sector in a situation of deep uncertainty. Deep uncertainty is a technical term for the unpredictability of…

Read more about Methods for decision-making under deep uncertainty
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Digital twin as experience accelerator

In which situations can a digital twin of the distribution process play a valuable role in the training of new staff? This is the central question in the project entitled: ‘On the…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
The ‘Integrated Area Plan’: designing and assessing integrated solutions in area processes

This project is exploring how professionals working in practice can arrive at well-considered ‘Integrated Area Plans’. An Integrated Area Plan focuses on multiple and integrated solutions for various…

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Health
Biological activity
Effect of temperature on the growth of opportunistic pathogens

This project is investigating how the heating up of drinking water affects the growth of opportunistic pathogens in the mains system. We are using a pilot array that…

Read more about Effect of temperature on the growth of opportunistic pathogens
Health
Biological activity
The effects on biological stability and later growth of mixing treated water from alternative sources and conventionally produced drinking water

This project will determine the effect of mixing drinking water extracted from new sources (groundwater and surface water) with drinking water from conventional treatment on the biological stability…

Read more about The effects on biological stability and later growth of mixing treated water from alternative sources and conventionally produced drinking water
Health
Emerging contaminants
Sewage surveillance of drug use

Drug use is a recognised societal problem. It is damaging to public health and has negative (undermining) consequences for public security and the environment. An effective drug policy needs to be founded on reliable drug-use and -dealing…

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Health
Microbial safety
Reliable detection and control of Legionella pneumophila in wastewater

In recent years, the number of registered patients with a Legionella infection has increased in the Netherlands, with the majority of infections caused by Legionella pneumophila. L. pneumophila…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Water-kennis: an immersive media experience

Turn on your tap, shower or flush your toilet, and clean water flows out. But where does this water come from? The availability of enough clean water has become an issue for…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Monitoring nutrient measures

In many areas of the Netherlands the surface-water quality still does not meet the WFD targets. In the present project two catchment areas in the provinces of North Brabant and Flevoland are being intensively monitored for nutrients,…

Read more about Monitoring nutrient measures
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
GRROW: an intergenerational lab for the drinking water sector

What does the future water sector look like? What needs to change and what do we want to maintain? The GRROW lab project wants to answer that question…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Customer Perspectives 2.0

In the Joint Research Programme (BTO) Customer theme group, four customer perspectives were developed which provide insight into the diversity of drinking water customers, with their different expectations, desires, concerns and needs. In 2018, the distribution and…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Can’t escape the WaterScape: transforming water and governance systems for dealing with climate impacts in the Dutch Delta

With projected increase in floods and drought it is apparent that the Dutch water system needs to change. In WaterScape we explore large-scale spatial transitions in the physical…

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Health
Microbial safety
AMVD Reference Document revision

Dutch drinking water utilities need to demonstrate that drinking water is safe and does not spread any infectious diseases. To this end, they establish for each drinking water treatment process an Analysis of Microbial Safety of Drinking…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Socio-technological legitimisation of water-related reuse

Institutional trust and legal and regulatory frameworks can contribute to the socio-technological legitimisation of new technologies for water-related reuse. In this study, twelve legitimisation strategies were identified (see…

Read more about Socio-technological legitimisation of water-related reuse
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
BTO/WiCE 2024-2029: current and urgent

The Onderzoeksvisie Gezamenlijk Wateronderzoek voor 2024-2029 voor BTO/WiCE (BTO/WiCE Research Vision of the Collective Water Research for 2024-2029) presents a varied and current programme with innovation, valuable knowledge development and a focus…

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Health
Biological activity
Accelerate Energy Transition with Aquathermia 2.0

In its National Climate Agreement, the Dutch government has made commitments to reducing the emission of CO2. One of the sectors referred to in the agreement is the built environment. Heat demand…

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Health
Biological activity
Effect of temperature on the growth of opportunistic pathogens

In this study we investigate how the increase in the temperature of drinking water influences the growth of particular pathogens, known as opportunistic pathogens, in the drinking water…

Read more about Effect of temperature on the growth of opportunistic pathogens
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Alternative Drinking Water Sources

Safeguarding microbial safety in the use of alternative drinking water sources is an important subject of concern for the future. For this reason, drinking water utilities are researching the potential of new…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
The Ultimate Water Plant

The Ultimate Water Plant is a collaborative project involving parties in the water sector who want to demonstrate how, and subject to which conditions, treated sewage can be made available as a supplementary source of drinking water.…

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Health
Biological activity
ProVe IT-LT: Proven Safe and Innovative Hot Tap Water at Low Temperature

A low temperature (LT; 50 °C) in heating networks offers various advantages, such as reduced heat loss during heat distribution. Moreover, a low supply temperature is also increasingly…

Read more about ProVe IT-LT: Proven Safe and Innovative Hot Tap Water at Low Temperature
Society
Citizen science and public participation
Longitudinal customer research

Longitudinal customer research can help drinking water utilities better tailor their services to their customers. To enable the best possible design of these studies, an ‘ideal’ questionnaire has been developed, as a part of a larger whole.…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
The customer as tourist

For the drinking water utilities customers are not only drinking water consumers. As tourists they also use the nature areas that these organisations manage. What is the perception of the customer as tourists? And to what extent…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
The role of sludge in infiltration ponds in OMP removal during dune infiltration

Drinking water utilities that use dune infiltration or riverbank filtration employ infiltration ponds with a sludge layer. This project investigates the role played by the thickness and conditions…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
ANCHOR: broad knowledge development about urban water reuse

In this project, we will study the application of water reuse in the built environment from technical, societal, governance and economic perspectives. The goal is to establish a…

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Health
Biological activity
Biological treatment of RO concentrate

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water treatment technique that involves the use of semi-permeable membranes to remove unwanted molecules and particles. It is an effective way of extracting a wide variety of…

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Health
Biological activity
Risk of L. pneumophila with heating networks

In this project, a qualitative microbiological risk analysis is being conducted to determine the effect of using heating networks for domestic connections on the number of patients with L. pneumophila. In addition, we…

Read more about Risk of L. pneumophila with heating networks
Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
VIPNL: Wetland crops on water-rich peat

This project is investigating how wetland agriculture on water-rich peat can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and land subsidence, and deliver improvements in water quality and biodiversity. The focus is on…

Read more about VIPNL: Wetland crops on water-rich peat
Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
TUBES as a controlled test environment for low-threshold pilot projects

In this project, we are investigating the possibilities and limitations of distributed-optical-fibre detection techniques in a controlled test environment. This projectis being organised in a broad alliance of…

Read more about TUBES as a controlled test environment for low-threshold pilot projects
Health
Emerging contaminants
Lead from brass components – phase III

This project examines the Dutch drinking water sector’s sampling protocol to control lead concentrations at the tap. With a tightening of the lead standard, the performance of this protocol needs to be…

Read more about Lead from brass components – phase III
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Insight into connecting pipes

There is still not enough attention being paid to connecting pipes in the transport and distribution network of the Dutch water utilities and De Watergroep in Flanders. Our understanding of the condition, failure probability and residual lifespan…

Read more about Insight into connecting pipes
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Impact of internal factors on malfunctions

Can malfunctions and/or repair work and pump operations lead to new malfunctions in the mains? This project will investigate this question by determining whether there is a statistical relationship between these factors…

Read more about Impact of internal factors on malfunctions
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Quantitative added value of digital water meters and other sensors at customer locations

What are the benefits for the distribution process of different versions of smart water meters and the additional sensors? In this project, quantitative descriptions and model studies will…

Read more about Quantitative added value of digital water meters and other sensors at customer locations
Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Improving the reliability and practicality of an AI-based tool for data validation and correction

Water companies are increasingly using sensor data for advanced process monitoring and control for key variables. They are therefore increasingly reliant on high-quality data. In this project, the…

Read more about Improving the reliability and practicality of an AI-based tool for data validation and correction
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Reduction of pressure on groundwater through reuse of water from dairy plants in agriculture

Groundwater in the Netherlands is under pressure, both in terms of quantity and quality. Groundwater is used in several activities, including drinking water production, agriculture and industry. In…

Read more about Reduction of pressure on groundwater through reuse of water from dairy plants in agriculture
Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Digital water – building a conceptual cost-benefit framework based on the experiences of frontrunners

Several water companies at home and abroad have taken far-reaching steps in digitising their operations. In this project, we deepen our understanding of the drivers of frontrunners for…

Read more about Digital water – building a conceptual cost-benefit framework based on the experiences of frontrunners
Health
Biological activity
Evaluation of Aeromonas legal standard

Since the 1980s Aeromonas in drinking water has been included as a microbiological parameter in the Dutch Drinking Water Decree. Currently, Aeromonas standard exceedances are generally tolerated, partly because it is unclear…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Biomonitoring of atmospheric nitrogen deposition with mosses

It was expected that the emission of nitrogen during the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdowns would diminish because of the sharp reduction in human activities. This would apply…

Read more about Biomonitoring of atmospheric nitrogen deposition with mosses
Society
Valorisation
Automatic water-quality control for good recirculation water in greenhouse horticulture

Greenhouse horticulture irrigation water, when recirculated, acquires a complex composition. The impact this has on crops is for the most part unknown. The possibility of determining whether the…

Read more about Automatic water-quality control for good recirculation water in greenhouse horticulture
Health
Biological activity
Biological stability parameters in operational practice

New methods for determining and predicting biological stability developed since 2010 are applied less often in daily drinking water practice than are the previously existing older methods. This,…

Read more about Biological stability parameters in operational practice
Health
Microbial safety
Fast alternative for the heterotrophic plate count at 22°C (HPC22) following interventions in the drinking water distribution system

This project will determine which method is suitable for the detection of anomalies in the microbial water quality following maintenance activities or pipe breaks in the drinking water…

Read more about Fast alternative for the heterotrophic plate count at 22°C (HPC22) following interventions in the drinking water distribution system
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
PUSH-IT: demonstration and development of seasonal underground heat storage systems

The EU aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. Large-scale seasonal underground heat storage has an important part to play in meeting this objective, because heating and cooling…

Read more about PUSH-IT: demonstration and development of seasonal underground heat storage systems
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Solar panels on water reservoirs

Drinking water reservoirs have a large water surface. The installation of floating solar panels on reservoirs can be an effective strategy to generate energy. However, the question is, if and what impacts do solar panels have on…

Read more about Solar panels on water reservoirs
Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Power-to-X Province of Utrecht

The energy system of the Netherlands must become clean and future-proof, but also remain reliable and affordable. Local production of sustainable solar or wind energy will play an important part in this effort. In order to accelerate…

Read more about Power-to-X Province of Utrecht
Health
Emerging contaminants
Water Quality Knowledge Impulse

Over the past four years, work in the Water Quality Knowledge Impulse has focused on learning more about the quality of groundwater and surface water, and the factors that affect that quality. The aim of the Water…

Read more about Water Quality Knowledge Impulse
Health
Emerging contaminants
PARC: European partnership for the assessment of risks from chemicals

The EU-wide research and innovation programme PARC was established in order to improve the risk assessment and sustainability of chemicals. The PARC project will strengthen the scientific basis…

Read more about PARC: European partnership for the assessment of risks from chemicals
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Chances for Concentrate

In this project, we are investigating how the circular processing of concentrated residual streams can contribute to future-resilient and socially responsible freshwater supplies. This involves recovering water and producing raw materials for which there is a market.…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Implementation of screening and NTS methods in practice

Drinking water laboratories have recently expressed a need for the further integration of screening methods, including non-target screening (NTS), in the methods used to monitor water quality. Technological…

Read more about Implementation of screening and NTS methods in practice
Health
Emerging contaminants
Environmental forensics: pollution signatures

The presence of anthropogenic substances in the drinking water chain poses challenges for the water sector, and specifically for drinking water companies. That presence is undesirable, and sometimes even problematic. Although treatment…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Big data – analysis and integration of chemical and toxicological data

Monitoring the water quality of drinking water is challenging due to the presence of complex mixtures of mostly unknown substances that vary in concentration and composition. Over the…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Effect-based monitoring of water quality in the circular economy

Freshwater from groundwater or surface water sources is becoming scarce in dry periods, driving a rise in interest in the use/re-use of rainwater and treated domestic and industrial…

Read more about Effect-based monitoring of water quality in the circular economy
Health
Emerging contaminants
Drugs production waste in groundwater: field research and action perspectives

Little is still known about the impact of the long-term or extensive discharge of chemical waste from the production of synthetic drugs (SYNDRU) on groundwater quality and therefore…

Read more about Drugs production waste in groundwater: field research and action perspectives
Health
Emerging contaminants
Toxicology on Target

The domain of toxicological risk assessment is constantly evolving and it is essential to follow these developments closely. It has been noted that an adequate response to water quality issues requires the ongoing development of knowledge and…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Microplastics in water treatment

Plastics are a ubiquitous part of everyday life and they are found in fresh water throughout the Netherlands. In this project, we describe the nature and levels of microplastics (20 - 500 µm) at different stages of…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Text mining for the early detection of relevant water pollutants

Long before substances are included in regulations and monitoring programmes, text sources such as reports, social media, press releases, regulatory agency websites or the scientific literature can provide…

Read more about Text mining for the early detection of relevant water pollutants
Health
Emerging contaminants
Are PMOCs less toxic?

Persistent mobile organic compounds (PMOC) accumulate in the water cycle and are hardly removed during water treatment. For a long time, these substances have been under-researched but recent studies show that they are present in worrying concentrations.…

Read more about Are PMOCs less toxic?
Health
Emerging contaminants
Nanoplastics in drinking water

It is becoming increasingly clear that plastic is everywhere. That has been demonstrated in numerous environmental compartments, including soil, sediment, surface water and air. Data about the presence of microplastic particles in surface water are sparse, and…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Water-soluble polymers – Eyes and ears for Chemical Safety 2019-2020

Water-soluble polymers are often neglected because they are not covered by the definition of microplastics and are not visible. As a result, very little is still known about…

Read more about Water-soluble polymers – Eyes and ears for Chemical Safety 2019-2020
Health
Biological activity
VO Eyes and ears for Chemical Safety 2019-2020 (LDIR and biofilm)

The regrowth and biofilm formation of micro-organisms on pipe material and membranes lead to problems in drinking water systems. To combat biofilm formation, a knowledge of the dynamics…

Read more about VO Eyes and ears for Chemical Safety 2019-2020 (LDIR and biofilm)
Health
Emerging contaminants
Clearer picture of the formation of transformation products during drinking water treatment thanks to integrated strategies

During drinking water production, biotic and antibiotic processes can form transformation products (TP) from organic micropollutants (OMP). How these substances behave in water treatment and how toxic they…

Read more about Clearer picture of the formation of transformation products during drinking water treatment thanks to integrated strategies
Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
Improved prioritisation and fragmentation improve the identification of unknown substances with non-target screening

Non-target screening (NTS) is based on the combination of liquid chromatography in conjunction with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). In addition, tailored data analysis, with target and suspect screening,…

Read more about Improved prioritisation and fragmentation improve the identification of unknown substances with non-target screening
Health
Emerging contaminants
Contribution to Toxicology Knowledge Impulse

We are making and using more and more substances in larger and larger quantities. Analyses by collaborating European ecologists and ecotoxicologists have shown that exposure to mixtures of chemicals is a limiting…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Survey of drug waste emission pathways and relevance for the drinking water sector

The Netherlands has a thriving illegal industry for the production of synthetic drugs such as amphetamine (speed), MDMA (XTC) and “designer drugs”. It releases all kinds of waste…

Read more about Survey of drug waste emission pathways and relevance for the drinking water sector
Health
Emerging contaminants
Integration of non-target screening, statistical analyses and bioassays for the global assessment of chemical water quality

Thanks to developments in screening methods based on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), the detection of chemicals in water now not only allows for the detection of specific substances…

Read more about Integration of non-target screening, statistical analyses and bioassays for the global assessment of chemical water quality
Health
Emerging contaminants
Highly polar compounds I

An understanding of the presence of highly polar compounds in sources of drinking water is important because these substances can threaten drinking water supplies. This is because highly polar compounds can spread well in water and soil,…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
New chemical analysis methods

The world around us is changing rapidly and new techniques emerge regularly. The ongoing assessment of detection technologies (instrumental and otherwise) makes it possible to identify their possible value for the water sector in good time. BTO…

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Health
Biological activity
Trigger value data gaps I and II

There are a lot of advantages to testing water quality with in vitro bioassays but this technique can only be properly applied if the bioassay responses can be compared with ‘effect-based trigger values’ (EBT). This study determines…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Exploration of sources, behaviour and risk of new substances

At present, the count for substances with a CAS number stands at over 194 million. New substances are being registered, produced and applied at a rapid pace. The…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Digital twins for the water sector

'Digital twins' is the buzzword of recent years in many industries, including the water industry. The term is used to indicate digital representations (copies in some way) of physical systems. In some…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Effects of interventions in the distribution network on the existing microorganisms: DNA techniques offer clarity

Earlier research by Evides Waterbedrijf revealed that the number and composition of microbial populations can change during the distribution process of drinking water. This 2018 research was undertaken…

Read more about Effects of interventions in the distribution network on the existing microorganisms: DNA techniques offer clarity
Health
Emerging contaminants
QSAR and read-across models for water quality

In silico models for predicting the toxicity of contaminants deliver added value for water-quality issues. The chemical structure of a contaminant and data about similar substances provide insight in the toxicological properties…

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Health
Biological activity
Risk of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water

The water utilities have indicated that research into opportunistic pathogens in drinking water has a high priority. This is because these pathogens could represent a potential health risk. This project’s priority is…

Read more about Risk of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water
Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Digital twin for treatment process

A digital twin provides water utilities with a firm foundation for the transition towards a (more) data-driven organisation, with prospects of optimisation, better insight or more effective management. Many organisations want to…

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Health
Biological activity
Exploratory Research: Water Quality Footprint

The water sector is today actively working on CO2 emission reduction (and climate neutrality). Up until now, the possibility of including water quality improvement in environmental impact methodologies has however been very…

Read more about Exploratory Research: Water Quality Footprint
Health
Microbial safety
Passive sampling of microbiological parameters

The aim of this project is to establish a picture of whether passive sampling for microbiological detection can deliver added value over taking samples. Passive sampling is a way of sampling chemicals…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Improved water quality through advanced oxidation and dune infiltration

The Dunea drinking water utility uses surface water to produce drinking water by means of dune filtration. In the decades ahead, the quality of the river water that…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
VHP4Safety: Towards chemical safety assessment based on human data

Chemical safety assessment, designed to minimise the risks of chemical exposures to human health and the environment, has traditionally been based on animal testing. Many natural and man-made…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Reducing drinking-water consumption by business

There has been an increasing emphasis in recent years on water savings and water awareness among domestic clients. A similar research focus is needed for business and that is the aim of…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
GRROW – Generational and Radical Rethinking of the Water Sector

The GRROW project will have a sequel: the GRROW lab! If you want to participate as a participant, register now via this link. or visit the GRROW-lab project…

Read more about GRROW – Generational and Radical Rethinking of the Water Sector
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Digital Twin for the development of data and model to support ASR management systems

Subsurface water storage, also known as Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR), of excess freshwater can play an important role in enhancing the sustainability of water use in the…

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Sustainability
Sustainable resources
Power-to-Protein: efficient input of hydrogen (phase 3)

In recent years great progress has been achieved within the TKI Water Technology programme with the Power-to-Protein concept: the recovery of ammonium from the wastewater cycle for use…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Connecting the water cycle and the water system for a better balance of water demand and supply

Sufficient freshwater, for all users and functions. This is also a growing challenge in the Netherlands and Flanders. A solution is being sought in self-provision at the regional…

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Health
Biological activity
Predicting the biodegradation of organic micropollutants

Drinking and wastewater companies have to work with problem substances that are not removed, or not removed properly, during the treatment process. In this new exploratory study, we…

Read more about Predicting the biodegradation of organic micropollutants
Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Water-Futures

How should the world achieve high-quality water services in the future while facing severe climate, economic and population pressures under deep uncertainty? Water-Futures, a 10M Euros European Research Council (ERC) funded project (ERC Synergy Grant), aims to…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Q&A, Aquathermal and Thermal Energy from Drinking water (TED)

Aquathermal energy is a relatively new subject. This Q&A has been drawn up as a guide to the most frequently asked questions about Aquathermal Energy, and specifically Thermal…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
ARSINOE

Resilience to climate change ARSINOE, a large four-year European Commission (EC) funded project (budget 15M Euros), aims to build an innovative ecosystem for climate change adaptation solutions. ARSINOE is funded under the Green Deal EC Calls (2021)…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Evaluation of Legionella regulations in systems for drinking water and warm tap water

The aim of this project is to determine whether current scientific understanding justifies amendments to the regulations on Legionella prevention in mains water systems and, if so, how…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
IMPETUS

With persisting impacts of climate change on people's health and livelihoods and the environment, the need to build resilience, adaptive capacity and sustainable and environmentally-friendly economic measures become more urgent. IMPETUS, a four-year European Commission-funded project coordinated…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
NEXOGENESIS

The water, energy, food and ecosystem (WEFE) nexus is a complex interrelationship governed by climatic and socio-economic drivers. We need holistic cross-sector considerations and policies to achieve resource use efficiency, leverage synergies and promote cross-sectoral cooperation. NEXOGENESIS,…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Energy transition and Drinking Water phase 2

The energy transition will impact the operational management of drinking water utilities in multiple ways. In the second phase of the research project on the energy transition and drinking water, KWR is…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
LIFE NEW HYTS: reNEWable green Hydrogen for TranSport

The LIFE NEW HYTS project will demonstrate the opportunities and feasibility for local production, distribution, and application of green hydrogen in road transport. It aims to create the…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Water availability and drought over long term

The availability of sufficient freshwater, for all users and functions, is also an increasingly big challenge in the Netherlands and Flanders. A solution is being sought in self-provision at the regional and…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
WarmteStad Groningen: digital twin

WarmteStad Groningen is expanding the heating network in its city. The company is thus addressing the challenge of implementing sustainability in a rapid and cost-effective manner. To achieve this, WarmteStad is combining…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
The customer as ‘follow-up treatment actor’

Drinking water customers seem increasingly open to the idea of home filtration and rainwater applications in their own households. This project sheds light on the number and the kinds of customers concerned,…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Belissima – modelling removal of OMPs in wastewater

The presence of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in wastewater has a big impact on the aquatic environment. Given that most of these substances end up in the water cycle…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Aqua ludens

The development of a serious game should provide all stakeholders in the water cycle with a clear understanding of the significance of water, of how the freshwater provision works, and of the impact of choices on water…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Closing the water cycle

To close the water cycle, steps need to be taken to treat effluent for organic micropollutants. Today’s WWTPs have not been specifically designed to remove such substances – which can encompass a wide range – from the…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Polishing pellets

During the production process of drinking water (dissolved) iron is removed from the water. Sand filtration is a treatment technique commonly used for this purpose. The flushing of the sand filters then generates aquafer, which is a…

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All projects ()

Collaboration

EU Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)

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Collective research on Water in the Circular Economy (WiCE)

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World Health Organization (WHO)

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Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC)

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Water Europe

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Aqua Research Collaboration (ARC)

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Universities

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Allied Waters

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Watershare

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TKI Water Technology

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European research

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Joint Research Programme with the water utilities

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Dune water company joint research (DPWE)

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All collaborations ()

Subjects

Sustainability

Public Design for Water

Water = leven: voor de natuur en voor de mens. Beschikbaarheid van water van voldoende…

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Health

Biological activity

Growth of microorganisms in (drinking) water can present risks to public health and lead to…

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Health

Emerging contaminants

Emerging contaminants are a possible threat to the public health and environment. KWR develops smarter,…

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Health

Microbial safety

Water safety is vital. Citizens must be able to drink and swim in safe water,…

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Health

Safe innovation and the water sector

Technological innovations can involve risks to (drinking) water and public health. Greater public awareness, and…

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Sustainability

Sustainable use of freshwater resources

Access to sufficient and clean freshwater is not a given. Globally, the water sector is…

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Sustainability

Climate change and resilience

The water sector needs practice-oriented research to help it confront the wide-ranging consequences of climate…

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Sustainability

Sustainable energy

There is a worldwide drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to cleaner, more…

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Sustainability

Sustainable resources

The circular economy is the alternative to the current – essentially linear – economy. While…

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Society

Stakeholder involvement and governance

Stakeholder engagement is an effective means of connecting technical and social-governance issues. KWR has a…

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Society

Citizen science and public participation

Increased citizen engagement is confronting the water sector with steadily growing demands. A connection needs…

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Society

Valorisation

Given the urgency of current water challenges, public authorities, utilities and industry feel a strong…

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Looking ahead

Futures studies and response strategies

Futures research improves the resilience of the water sector by supporting anticipatory governance and by…

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Enabling technologies

Hydrogenomics

Genomic techniques are developing at a very rapid pace in health, life, forensic and environmental…

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Enabling technologies

Hydroinformatics

Hydroinformatics is the application of information technology in its broadest sense on water-cycle related issues,…

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Enabling technologies

Innovative water treatment technologies

Drinking water treatment is subject to many demands and, today, the challenges it faces are…

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Enabling technologies

Future-proof networks

Even if the Netherlands has a superbly functioning drinking water network, parts of it are…

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Enabling technologies

New materials and technologies

Detecting and removing emerging contaminants calls for advanced materials and technologies. KWR develops knowledge about…

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All subjects ()

Tools

ESTAR

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HomeWaterLab

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TUBES

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REWAB

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AquaPriori

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EDWARD

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HydroMonitor 1.0

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Governance Capacity Analysis

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Contamination Source Toolkit

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WaterVision Nature

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Comsima

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Gondwana

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USTORE

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Menyanthes

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SIMDEUM

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Self-Cleaning Networks

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Network Flow Performance

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Mains Investment Planning

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Water-Use Info

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OptiValves

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City Blueprint

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Clean Membrane

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News

Blog

EGU24 – Enjoyed to the fullest

23 April 2024 — With 18,896 presentations given in 1,044 sessions, it’s a challenge to summarize all the impressions gathered last week…

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Blog

EGU24 trends and highlights – inspiring as ever

19 April 2024 — The General Assembly 2024 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) is held in Vienna, from 14–19 April 2024.…

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Blog

Approach AI with an open mind

17 April 2024 — Several water utilities and KWR are already researching and experimenting with generative AI. Their initial findings and insights…

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News

Microbiologist Gertjan Medema awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2024

16 April 2024 — Microbiologist Gertjan Medema will receive the Lee Kuan Yew Prize 2024 from the President of Singapore on 18…

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News

More MOMENTUM for research into micro- and nanoplastics

05 April 2024 — The research on micro- and nanoplastics continues in MOMENTUM 2.0 and breakthrough projects. KWR contributes on various fronts,…

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News

Achieving optimal balance between water demand and water availability

03 April 2024 — On 5 March 2024, the Symposium on Water Availability and Drought Over Long Term was held. Recommendations were…

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Water Sector

Sensitive membrane-integrity monitoring with natural viruses

02 April 2024 — Recently concluded research shows that natural viruses can monitor the integrity of membranes in drinking water production more…

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Water Sector

Circularity of micronutrients in the spotlight

26 March 2024 — The recovery of elements like manganese, zinc and iron from waste streams was investigated in the TKI project,…

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News

EU project NATALIE works on innovative natural solutions to increase climate resilience

22 March 2024 — The large-scale EU-funded project NATALIE has been launched. With a budget of €18 million, 43 partners will collaborate…

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Water Sector

A new attractive solution for climate adaptation in the city

22 March 2024 — The Urban Photosynthesis project has shown that it can be done: a blue-green roof that contributes to energy…

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News

15 years’ research into drugs in sewage water

20 March 2024 — Over the 2010-2023 period, KWR researched drug use in the cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Leeuwarden and the Eindhoven…

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Blog

Controlled drainage with subirrigation as a water solution for agriculture

20 March 2024 — Controlled drainage with subirrigation has the potential to provide support for agriculture in a good way. Whether it…

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News

New app Water-kennis allows users to interactively raise their water awareness

18 March 2024 — On 7 March, KWR launched the location-based app Water-kennis. The goal of this interactive mobile app, co-developed with…

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News

Less nitrogen in ditches thanks to bioreactor with wood chips

12 March 2024 — Do wood chips help make water in ditches cleaner? This is now being jointly investigated by Deltares, KWR,…

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News

Better understanding of concentration dynamics of substances in surface water

11 March 2024 — Research demonstrates: clusters of substances in surface water show similarities in concentration patterns. Useful knowledge in getting a…

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News

GRROW lab invites young and experienced water professionals to engage in dialogue

05 March 2024 — The GRROW lab project involves young water professionals in discussions about leading paradigms, connects them with other water…

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News

NWO WaterScape project gets started

29 February 2024 — The NWO WaterScape project has begun. It will focus on the development of WaterScapes: climate-robust and adaptive water…

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News

BTO 2018 – 2023 What have we learned?

29 February 2024 — The latest six-year BTO research programme came to a close in 2023. KWR researchers look back in the…

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Publications

All publications

Agenda

25

Apr

Networking day for young professionals in the drinking water sector 2024

In April we will be getting together again for the annual networking day for young professionals in the…

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