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Joint Research Programme

Projects

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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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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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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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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.…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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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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…

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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

What should the water sector look like in 2070? In what respect does the sector need to radically reinvent itself. And what are the things that we really…

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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…

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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 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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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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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
Hydroinformatics
Impact of substances of very high concern in the environment

The water sector is being increasingly confronted with substances of very high concern and new emission pathways for those substances. Substances of very high concern are a threat…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
Water poverty

Even in a prosperous and water-rich country like the Netherlands, it is reasonable to assume that people may face water poverty. The aim of the project is to explore and investigate this area from different perspectives in…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Prediction models for the removal of organic micropollutants

Organic micropollutants (OMPs) in drinking water sources are frequently in the news. The numbers of OMPs are typically very low and are not harmful to health, but, as…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Application of membrane fractionation for better understanding of biological stability of water

The selection of the water source and the subsequent water treatment processes have different impacts on the biological stability of the water. In the Netherlands and Flanders, the…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Prediction of freshwater supplies in the Netherlands

In this project we intend to use hydroinformatics methods – notably machine learning and deep learning – to predict available freshwater supplies, particularly during periods of serious drought.…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
Multiple Value Creation Implementation

In this project we are developing and implementing an overall framework, an assessment framework and a process methodology to define and assess multiple values, for the purpose of sustainable investment in the…

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Health
Microbial safety
AMVD measurements

This project investigates the difficulties and solutions involved in the quantitative measurement of microbiological risks. In practice, the analyses required for pathogens in drinking water sources involve large sample volumes (max. 1,000 litres) that are concentrated to…

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Health
Biological activity
Effect of manganese on biofilm formation

The aim of this project is to determine how low manganese concentrations in drinking water affect the formation of biofilm in the distribution system. Biofilm in drinking water with and without manganese…

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Health
Microbial safety
Microbiological degradation of contaminants in reverse osmosis concentrate

In this project, we are investigating the possibility of the microbiological conversion of specific problem substances that are found in reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate during drinking water production.…

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Health
Microbial safety
Alternatives to post-disinfection with chlorine dioxide

In this project, we are investigating alternatives to post-disinfection with chlorine dioxide. The aim is to acquire an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of the available alternative…

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Health
Biological activity
Survival and growth of water lice in (2018-2020 follow-up)

This research investigated whether water lice can survive and grow on biofilms. This information makes it possible to establish preventive measures to control the spread of water lice.…

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Health
Biological activity
Preparation RT-PCR method enterococci

The routine determination of the safety of our drinking water is highly important. In practice this involves the use of a culture method for the intestinal bacteria E. coli and enterococci. This…

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Health
Microbial safety
Validation RT-PCR method enterococci

The routine determination of the safety of our drinking water is highly important. In practice this involves the use of a culture method for the intestinal bacteria E. coli and enterococci. This…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Deep Explorations: a explorative study for deep learning applications in the water sector

This project concerns an explorative study to assess the value of deep learning (DL) for KWR and the water sector in general. The different types of deep learning,…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Digital Twin II

In this project a so-called ‘digital twin’ of a drinking water distribution network of a Dutch city is being made, with the aim of determining the impact of corona measures – lockdown and increased working-from-home – and…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Energy transition and drinking water phase 1: overview, impact and knowledge gaps

The energy transition will have significant consequences for the drinking water utilities. The theme groups of the Joint Research Programme of KWR and the water utilities have indicated…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
AIR: autonomous inspection robots for drinking water pipes

Effective asset management results in the optimal performance of the drinking water network. Such management requires a good picture of the condition of the pipes. However, the inspection…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Ariel

KWR and Wetsus have developed a prototype of an inspection robot for drinking water networks. Within the AIR project, this prototype will be further developed into an operational, fully autonomous robot system. Effective asset management through frequent…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Highly polar compounds – II

The monitoring of highly polar compounds – particularly in low concentrations (ng/L range) – presents a great challenge. Compared with known, classical environmental pollutants (e.g., PCBs, pharmaceuticals, pesticides), there is a knowledge gap for highly polar compounds…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Explorations by KWR and the drinking water sector in innovative water technology

Water constitutes one of the economic top sectors designated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. In order to stimulate innovations and create economic value from…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Effectiveness of nitrogen-mitigation measures in dry habitats

In the Netherlands low-productive habitat types have for decades been affected by high nitrogen deposition. Nitrogen-mitigation measures have been taken to maintain and restore these low-productive habitat types.…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Identifying contaminations with numerical source-determination

The Dutch drinking water utilities abide by the legal provisions for monitoring the microbial quality of drinking water in the distribution network. The monitoring programme for this regular…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Water Conservation challenge

How can drinking water customers be moved to themselves save water? And is it actually possible to exert such influence? That is the objective of this practice-oriented research project, in which we challenged participants to consume as…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Bioassays for neuroactive substances in water

More and more substances are being found worldwide in surface water that may have adverse effects on the nervous system. Because about forty percent[1] of Dutch drinking water is made from infiltrated…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Seasonal influences of surface water on fouling potential in UF

The link between seasonal changes in the quality of surface waters and the operation of a membrane plant (especially ultrafiltration) regularly causes problems in practice. With a new…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Stand-alone local treatment for remote areas

It is difficult to supply drinking water from the central system in some parts of the Netherlands. Available alternatives for producing drinking water locally through stand-alone treatment plants have therefore been studied…

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Health
Microbial safety
Rainwater as a source of drinking water: production costs and environmental aspects

Many people think it would be sustainable to make drinking water from collected rainwater. However, there is not enough rainwater in the Netherlands to meet demand. The costs…

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Health
Microbial safety
Implications of antibiotic resistance for drinking water production

Antibiotic resistance is a topical problem that also affects the water sector. Resistance genes, including those against the latest generation of antibiotics, and Highly Resistant Micro-Organisms (HRMO) are,…

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Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
The effect of water quality on leaching in pipes containing cement

In order to limit the leaching of asbestos cement and the cement contained in pipes, the Dutch Drinking Water Act includes the Saturation Index (SI), a measure of…

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Health
Biological activity
Development of an RT-PCR for detecting enterococci

To determine quickly whether drinking water is hygienically reliable, it is important - in addition to the available RT-PCR method for E. coli - to have a method for detecting enterococci. This…

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Health
Microbial safety
High-throughput qPCR

Ever-faster, 'high-throughput qPCR' methods are becoming available for the simultaneous detection and identification of large quantities of genes. This study looks at how a number of promising methods compare with the qPCR methods already being used by…

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Health
Biological activity
Bridging the gap: next-generation characterisation of AOC

A small proportion of the organic carbon in drinking water is broken down by micro-organisms into compounds such as carboxylic acids. This can lead to regrowth problems. Given…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Softening 2.0 at Waternet; Leiduin production location

To identify the best option for a new water softening system in Leiduin, five different scenarios were compared in terms of Total Costs of Ownership and life cycle…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
CT scans as a reference for determining the condition of AC and PVC

Drinking water companies plan to replace AC pipes in the coming decades. In order to determine which pipes need replacing first, it is important to have information about…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Picturing the pipe network

With the development of inspection robots and new kinds of sensors, and thanks to a growing wealth of data, light can be shed on the underground drinking water distribution network; something that has long been impossible. This…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Nanostructures on pipe walls to control regrowth

Nano- and microtechnology makes it possible to manipulate material structures at the molecular or atomic level. The macroscopic properties are thus determined not only by the material, but also by the modified…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Risks of industrial emissions to air for drinking water production

Drinking water companies need to know how atmospheric emissions from industry may affect supplies of drinking water. Despite monitoring from source to tap, the existing monitoring activities hardly…

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Health
Biological activity
Molecular-biological methods

Traditionally, microbiological analyses are carried out through the cultivation of organisms. Molecular methods in contrast research the genetic material – DNA and RNA – in the water. These methods are faster and provide more information about the…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Drought in the Pleistocene uplands of Southern, Central and Eastern Netherlands

The summer of 2018 was particularly dry in the Netherlands, which led to water supply problems for agriculture and nature in the Pleistocene uplands. This project focuses on…

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Health
Biological activity
PFAS: A Threat for the Dutch Drinking Water Cycle?

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad group of anthropogenic organic substances which have been extensively used since the 1940s. Due to their persistency, bioaccumulation and toxicity, PFAS are a threat…

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Health
Biological activity
Survival and growth of water lice on organic matter in drinking water distribution networks

Earlier research has indicated that a correlation exists between the presence of water lice and the Aeromonas count in drinking water, and that this bacterium probably partly lives…

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Health
Microbial safety
Mechanisms and quantification of re-contamination in dune passage

In the analysis of microbial safety of drinking water, it has been shown that dune passage, with a removal rate of up to eight log units, forms an…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Water-quality crisis

Communication during an acute water-quality crisis requires an approach that differs from regular risk communication. The goal of this project is to develop an applied scientific understanding, with which to define the most effective response strategies in…

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Health
Biological activity
QSAR tools and bioassays for emerging contaminants and transformation products

For new, emerging contaminants in drinking water sources and for transformation products, there are sometimes very little or no data available on their possible adverse effects on human…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Exploring Serious Games

Water managers are increasingly involved in the development of sustainable residential districts and new building projects. Recent examples include Superlocal (Kerkrade, WML) and Brainport Smart District (Helmond, Brabant Water). Innovative water technologies play a key part in…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Non-target screening: quantitative and on time

The confident identification of a compound followed by accurate quantification of its concentration in a water sample is a prerequisite for risk assessment. In recent years, chemical water quality monitoring has developed…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Condition forecast for individual mains

The risk of pipe failure is one of the factors taken into account by drinking water utilities when they decide whether or not to replace water mains. They assess this risk on…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Strategic decision-making for IAM: what can serious games contribute?

Drinking water companies can use serious games or other decision-support tools to help with strategic decision-making about issues relating to integrated asset management. This project will result in…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Electrochemical treatment processes

Electrochemical treatment processes present various advantages compared to conventional treatment processes. By gaining experience with a single, promising electrochemical method in a relevant water composition (with a focus on its effectiveness and…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Knowledge to the surface

Substances that are naturally present in the soil enter the groundwater and ultimately the surface water. This is a factor in drinking water production. High levels of iron are not harmful to health but, thanks to the…

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Society
Valorisation
Measuring impact and societal value

The goal of this exploratory research project is to collect existing knowledge, generate new knowledge and formulate a research strategy for the evaluation of water research, with a specific focus on the…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Water-quality map

A water-quality map allows one to determine the combined effects of emissions from various sources on the level of pollution in surface waters in the Netherlands. In specific instances it permits the calculation of the total toxic…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Making Aquarellus applicable

Brown water accounts for a significant proportion of reports about water quality that Dutch drinking water companies receive from customers. To tackle the phenomenon, it is important to have an understanding of the movement and accumulation of…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
DMA fingerprint

Dutch water companies are increasingly setting up District Metered Areas (DMAs) that can be used to locate leaks in the mains and to learn more about what is happening in the mains. In this project, we will…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
SMART ways of saving water at home

Since the dry summers of 2018 and 2019, the water sector has paid increasing attention to saving water. Against that background, it is important to know how the general public can save…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Knowledge exchange and stimulation of integrated asset management research

In this project within the Joint Research Programme of KWR and the water utilities, knowledge-exchange meetings were organised to define the building blocks, which water utilities can use…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
360-degree stakeholder management

There is no doubt that it is becoming increasingly important for drinking water utilities, during their asset management decision-making, to recognise and take into account the interests and expectations of stakeholders. What is less clear, however, is…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Data validation implementation pilot

Poor data quality is frequently identified as one of the obstacles to the successful exploitation of data mining techniques (e.g., exploratory research into data mining), for example, for analyses, monitoring, process management…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Iron removal for the removal of organic microcontamination

Iron hydroxides are produced at various places during the production of drinking water. That results in the formation and breakdown of reactive oxygen compounds. There are indications that…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Healthy soil, healthy water system

The properties of the soil have a major influence on drought sensitivity and leaching into groundwater, for instance, of fertilisers. Both agriculture and the drinking water utilities that abstract groundwater have an…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Role of soil passage in removal of OMPs

During the infiltration of surface water in the dunes and along river banks, natural processes in the soil can effectively remove micropollutants. In surface water infiltration systems, the bottom sludge layer is…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Stand-alone decentralised drinking water provision in outlying areas

In remote areas it is sometimes too costly or technically too complicated to connect homes to the central drinking water distribution system. Within this project an evaluation framework…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Leaching of the geochemical buffer capacity in the subsurface

The geochemical buffer capacity of the subsurface assists in breaking down pollutants before they reach drinking water abstraction zones. But this involves the generation of reaction products that…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Agent-based models for water demand – an exploration

The design of a future-proof drinking water distribution network requires a vision of the evolution of the demand for drinking water. There is a need for a method…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Behavioural influence in practice

The objective of this research project is to generate scientific understanding and tested techniques to study how, and to what degree, the behaviour of domestic customers can be effectively influenced. This will involve setting up a behavioural…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Customer wishes and expectations in the management of assets

ISO 55000 defines asset management as the coordinated activities of an organization to realise value from assets. Drinking water utilities translate this realisation of value from assets into…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Networks Roadmap drinking water distribution 2050

In 2050, the Netherlands will have to be ‘climate adaptive’, ‘energy neutral’ and ‘off the gas’. This also applies to the drinking water sector. How can we ensure that the distribution system…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Smart Water Networks – 2

This project within the Joint Research Programme of KWR and the water utilities concerns the question of how a smart network – a combination of a variety of sensors with the right algorithms – can in practice…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Hydroinformatics Platform coordination and knowledge sharing

Over the last two years, the Hydroinformatics Platform has developed into a highly valued means of knowledge sharing. Moreover, theme-transcending research concerning data validation has been conducted through…

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Health
Biological activity
Practical guidelines for use of PE as pipe material

Synthetic drinking water pipes can release substances into the water upon which bacteria can grow. The resulting biofilm on the pipe wall can lead to water-quality problems. The…

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Health
Biological activity
Regrowth of bacteria of the coli group in sand filters at the Bergen and Mensink pumping stations

Drinking water quality is controlled, among others, by measuring the presence of bacteria of the coli group. However, when these bacteria, which in themselves are not dangerous, grow…

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Society
Valorisation
Circular Water System Co-Creation in Brainport Smart District

Brainport Smart District (BSD) is an especially innovative district with about 1,500 homes and a business park of more than 12 hectares to be situated in Brandevoort, in…

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Health
Biological activity
Drinking water biological stability in relation to temperature

The law establishes that drinking water temperature must be under 25°C. However, there aren’t any, or hardly any, measures available to actually keep the water temperature below this…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Strengthening research into activated carbon filtration for micropollutant removal

Organic micropollutants (OMPs), including persistent compounds, are being increasingly detected in groundwater and surface water. Understanding the action of (surface water) treatment in the removal of OMPs is…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
The physico-chemical behaviour of purified water turbidity in distribution networks

The groundwater treatment processes at Brabant Water are designed for the removal of iron, ammonium and manganese. These processes work perfectly. The water quality generally fluctuates around the…

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Enabling technologies
Hydrogenomics
Managing concentrate streams

A number of water utilities make use of reverse osmosis (RO) or (capillary) nanofiltration (NF) membranes as a component of their drinking water treatment, since these provide a good barrier for all kinds of substances (e.g., salts,…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Behavioural sciences and data

Citizens are increasingly asked to adapt their behaviour. Drinking water utilities also make such requests. During drought periods for instance we see customers asked to be economical with their water during peak hours. We also know that…

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Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
Unknown anthropogenic substances in ground- and drinking water

The Drinking Water Regulations require a water company to follow the statutory monitoring programme or otherwise have a monitoring programme that has been set up on the basis…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Digital twin demonstrator

This project will create a so-called ‘digital twin’ of a Dutch city’s drinking water distribution system, and use it to demonstrate the added value of digital twins in the case of anomaly detection. A digital twin is…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Optimising the location of pressure sensors

Leaks in water mains are a problem with multiple implications. They involve the loss of expensive water, the interruption of the service for clients, rising repair costs, and possible hassle or damage…

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Health
Biological activity
Particle composition and biological stability

Treatment processes can influence the biological stability of water in different ways. In the Netherlands and Flanders, the biological stability in drinking water treatment is being improved as much as possible. Extensive…

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Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
Measuring a number of failure mechanisms in exit assessments

In this project within the Joint Research Programme, KWR is analysing additional exit assessments that may be feasible and of value in the repair or renovation of water pipes. Exit…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Optimal transition to network blueprints phase II

Within this project KWR is developing a method to automatically determine the transition from current structures to network blueprints, based on the Gondwana numerical optimisation, which takes into account the hydraulic and…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Measures to combat the unwanted heating of water in the pipe network

Legally the water temperature at the tap may not exceed 25°C. The temperature of the water network changes because of the weather and aboveground and underground heat sources. In…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Joint Research Programme Incubator Function

Together with the water companies, KWR has defined various objectives for the Joint Research Programme, including the ‘Incubator’ function. The ‘Incubator’ function is directed at realising innovation in the Joint Research Programme. ‘Incubator’ projects are…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Joint Research Programme ‘Eyes & Ears’

Together with the water companies, KWR has defined various objectives for the Joint Research Programme, including the ‘Eyes and Ears’ function. To fulfil the ‘Eyes and Ears’ function, developments…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Joint Research Programme Impact Studies

The aim of an impact study is to develop strategic insights, together with specialists from water companies and experts from outside the sector, about the future impacts of trends on Dutch water…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
The customer perspective toolkit

In a world where water company customers can no longer be seen as all the same, an understanding of the different types of customer becomes more and more important. This project considers how knowledge of different water…

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Society
Valorisation
The hardness of water

Research shows a clear link between the ‘perceived quality’ of tap water and the perception of water hardness: the softer customers perceive water to be, the higher the quality rating. This project analyses the extent to which…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Development of a substance database

A databank that unlocks information about relevant substances – e.g., substance properties, the presence of known and unknown substances, standards, treatment efficiency – has been developed for water utilities, drinking water laboratories…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Tap water awareness

Since the publication of the 2014 OECD report on the future-fitness of water governance in the Netherlands, the concepts of ‘awareness’ and ‘developing awareness’ have become an inescapable part of the vocabulary of managers and water professionals.…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Water reuse and the freshwater provision

We are confronted more and more with increasing drought damage in agriculture and nature. There is growing pressure on our supply of water for high-quality uses, such as drinking water production. The…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Smart Water Networks

Hydroinformatics and smart water are becoming increasingly important in the water sector. Reliance on this technology is rapidly increasing and being integrated in all domains of the water sector in which data are collected and processed. Due…

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Health
Biological activity
Surveillance of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance

The chemical and biological constituents of wastewater are a valuable source of information on human health and behavior, and on the state of the environment. The concept of…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Exploring the impact of drought on the drinking water provision

The year 2018 will enter the records as an extremely dry year and, perhaps, as far as the water utilities and water managers are concerned, ‘replace’ 1976 as…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Radical new sources of drinking water

The drinking water provision in the Netherlands makes use of fresh groundwater and fresh surface water as its principal sources. After the water’s intake or abstraction, it is used to produce drinking…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Exploratory research into data mining

The promises of data mining techniques have long been very inviting – and for the water utilities as well. In this research we will lay out the most important techniques and produce…

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Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
Reliable and affordable backfilling of boreholes in closed thermal energy systems

Thermal energy is an important technique in the heat transition. Its use can therefore be expected to increase very rapidly in the decades ahead. The installation of closed…

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Health
Microbial safety
Validation slow sand filtration at De Punt

Slow sand filtration is a treatment process that contributes importantly to drinking water safety. In water practice, however, the concentrations of microorganisms are so low that one cannot demonstrate the level of…

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Health
Microbial safety
AMVD research

The distribution of drinking water without chlorine is the calling card of the Dutch water utilities. What makes it possible is the exceptionally high quality of the drinking water produced in the country. Microbially safe drinking water…

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Health
Biological activity
Water lice and Aeromonas

Drinking water contains a large variety of nutrients which (harmless) bacteria can use to grow. These bacteria could in turn serve as a food source for water lice, for instance. We still do not know much about…

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Health
Microbial safety
Quickly measuring after work on network

When water utilities carry out work on their distribution networks, there is a risk that dirt, which might contain pathogens, will get into the pipes. For this reason, the activities are conducted…

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Health
Biological activity
Microbiology during drinking water distribution

Drinking water in the Netherlands is distributed without any traces of disinfectants such as chlorine. The growth of microorganisms during the water’s distribution is contained by keeping the supply of nutrients in…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Application future failure frequency prediction method

The prediction of failure frequencies is important in determining pipe replacement volumes and replacement prioritisation. The predictions are used to prioritise pipe replacements, and are a factor in…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Chalk Aquifer Management (CHARM)

De Watergroep, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and KWR join forces to study the Krijt chalk aquifer. This groundwater aquifer is important for the water utility De Watergroep, since it accounts for 22% of the utility’s drinking water…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Hydroinformatics Platform Pilot Data Validation

Water utilities find themselves in a transition with regard to their decision-making process. The inputs in decision-making models are shifting from experience and expertise to data and information. This requires data of…

Read more about Hydroinformatics Platform Pilot Data Validation
Society
Citizen science and public participation
Risk perception

On the basis of insights into customers’ perceptions, needs and experiences, communications guidelines are being developed with regard to the presence of anthropogenic substances in drinking water and its sources. Challenges regarding transparent communications The number of…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Resilience of distribution systems under crisis scenarios

This exploratory research project is producing an inventory of the possible physical and cyber threats (crisis scenarios) that present a potential danger to the proper functioning of drinking…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Purification in water reservoirs

Water reservoirs fulfil several functions in drinking water treatment. The reservoir determines to a large degree the quality of the raw water that flows to the treatment plant. This research aims to gain a better understanding of…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Peak consumption causes

Water companies need a water consumption model to help them size their production locations. In this project KWR will extend the day factor model (Vonk et al., 2017) with area-specific information, including garden acreage, and number of…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Assets: looking ahead to 2030 and 2050

Assets have a long useful life, which is why we need to have an opinion on (long-term and other) future developments. In this research project, we will analyse descriptions of existing trends,…

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Society
Valorisation
The decision-making processes for Integrated Asset Management (IAM)

In this research project, we will be describing the most important decision-making processes for assets and research, based on established theories of decision-making. We research which information is…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Organising the Veghel experimental plot

In this project, we are creating a scientific basis for the organisation of water company Brabant Water’s future ‘infrastructural experimental plot’ in Veghel for the specific area of expertise that relates to…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Future perspectives on peat polders

Our project ‘Making the Polder Futureproof’ maps out sustainable supported solutions for making the peat polder futureproof. To this end, the first phase of the project explores definitions of the issues, visions…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Ferramentum: tool for insights into rapid filtration

Previous tailored and thematic research work focused on iron and manganese removal from groundwater and led to the development of a first version of a software application (IJzersterke…

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Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Prediction and validation in organic micropollutant removal

Organic micropollutants (OMPs) in sources of drinking water are regularly in the news. The quantities of OMPs are usually very low and not harmful to health, but the…

Read more about Prediction and validation in organic micropollutant removal
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Biological conversion of micropollutants in drinking water treatment

Various scientific studies have shown that biological processes, such as rapid sand filtration (SF), river-bank filtration, biological granular activated carbon filtration (BAC), and slow sand filtration (SSF), can…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
‘Contaminants of Emerging Concern’ – a partnership in water technology

More and more chemical substances are being produced and used all over the world. At the same time, increasing volumes of water are being abstracted for domestic, industrial…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
PVC degradation model in Comsima

In the Netherlands PVC is the pipe material that is most used: more than half of the drinking water distribution network is made of PVC pipes. Being able to assess and predict the condition of the pipes…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Real-time sensor measurements for a better water-quality policy

The current, hydraulic models are infrequently applied to water-quality issues in the distribution network; moreover, they are poorly, or only to a limited degree, equipped for this task.…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Customer perspectives

It is becoming increasingly clear that one can no longer generalise about drinking water customers. This project reveals the existence of drinking water customers with different perspectives for all of the Netherlands and in De Watergroep’s supply…

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Enabling technologies
Hydroinformatics
Optimal design of robust and future-proof target structures

The design of target structures is a topical subject in the water sector. Drinking water companies are busy with the (proactive) replacement of their mains networks. At the…

Read more about Optimal design of robust and future-proof target structures
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Discolouration prediction tool for optimal cleaning policy

The quality of drinking water in the Netherlands is excellent. Nonetheless, this quality can deteriorate between the water production site and the client. One of the key water-quality…

Read more about Discolouration prediction tool for optimal cleaning policy
Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
4D Source protection in a changing world

This project involves studying the application of a 4D approach to source protection. The approach is based on knowledge about subsurface (3D) and future (4D) developments, and also takes into account the…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Citizen Science and Hardness

What does it mean to involve drinking water customers as researchers for a period of six months? In this citizen science project of KWR and the water company Brabant Water, customers will, for the first time, participate…

Read more about Citizen Science and Hardness
Society
Valorisation
BTO evaluation 2016

The Dutch water companies, the Flemish De Watergroep and the branch association Vewin are collectively engaged in a long-term applied science research programme: the Joint Research Programme for the Water Companies, known by its Dutch acronym BTO.…

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Society
Citizen science and public participation
Citizen Science and Lead

In this innovative research project of KWR and the Dunea water company, customers of a water company are taking part for the first time in a scientific study, as researchers, into lead water pipes. Dunea wants to…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
TRAMP

The nanoplastics, or microplastics, that result from plastic pollution that ends up in the sea are harmful to marine life. Nanoplastics are also probably present in freshwater, though we don’t have a clear understanding of this. In…

Read more about TRAMP
Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Heat and Cold from drinking water (HCD)

‘Heat and Cold from Drinking water’, ‘HCD ’ for short, constitutes a unique combination of water and energy: the thermal energy, which the drinking water contains, is used to bring together the…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Developments in water quality at surface water intake points for drinking water supply

Future developments in water quality at surface water intake points for drinking water supply constitute the key climate-change associated risk for the drinking water sector. This was a…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
Stakeholder expectations Vitens

In order to have Vitens’ asset management continue operating optimally into the future, it is increasingly important, in light of the societal context in which the company operates, that it be fully aware of the ideas, desires…

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Society
Stakeholder involvement and governance
Role determination in area planning processes: summary of Vitens Tailored Research project results

In order to safeguard groundwater abstraction into the future, it is very important that water companies position themselves externally in a conscious and well-considered manner. Vitens wanted to…

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Health
Biological activity
Oportunistic pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water

Because of the expected climate change, it is probable that in the future the earth’s warming will lead to a rise in the temperature of surface water, water…

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Health
Biological activity
Value of legal and alternative regrowth parameters

The regrowth of microorganisms during the distribution of drinking water can lead to a number of problematic situations. Water companies therefore monitor drinking water quality very closely. Because of possible risks and…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Nitrogen labelling

Among the reasons analytical chemistry is important for the drinking water sector, is the latter’s need for unequivocal identification of nitrogenous by-products and for toxicological risk assessment of the formed products. The objective of this project is…

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Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Impact studies

To give concrete form to the ‘eyes and ears’ function of the Dutch water sector’s joint research programme (BTO), our horizon scanners engage continually in trend watching. The water companies want to build more knowledge about a…

Read more about Impact studies
Looking ahead
Futures studies and response strategies
Horizon scanning and impact studies

Horizon scanning – the tracking of pertinent developments that appear on the horizon – is important for the drinking water sector because it identifies those future technological, ecological, economic and societal developments…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Data mining for asset management – survey and water sector examples

Data mining (the search for statistical connections in databases) is one step in ‘Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD)’. Both have already been embraced by the marketing, medical care,…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Applicability of German climate research to the Dutch situation – phase 1

There is a lot of high-value knowledge available in Germany on climate change, water management, and the spatial organisation of urban and rural areas. This knowledge was developed…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Perspective and preconditions for the development and use of autonomous inspection robots in water mains

Asset management of distribution networks is currently based on generic knowledge and models of mains groups, supplemented by inspection data on a limited number of mains. Effective asset…

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Health
Microbial safety
Smarter measurement

Water quality is often extensively measured within the framework of Analysis of Microbial Safety of Drinking Water (Dutch abbreviation: AMVD) and other research. The concentration distribution of microorganisms is highly variable, both in raw and treated water.…

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Health
Microbial safety
QMRA of the distribution network

Drinking water companies use quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to demonstrate that the drinking water they produce is safe. A desire also exists to apply the same method to demonstrate the safety of water in the distribution…

Read more about QMRA of the distribution network
Health
Safe innovation and the water sector
Antibiotic resistance in surface water and water treatment

Over the past few decades the use of antibiotics by humans and for veterinary purposes has grown sharply. Doctors in the Netherlands exercise restraint in prescribing antibiotics, but…

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Health
Microbial safety
ANSWER

In response to the growing problem of water scarcity, the reuse of treated urban wastewater is considered to be the most suitable and reliable alternative for sustainable water management and agricultural development. In spite of the benefits…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
SOLUTIONS

Water quality is under pressure. More and more so-called emerging contaminants are being detected in natural water systems. The presence of these compounds in water confronts water managers and water companies with big challenges. A number of…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
From mains data to mains knowledge

Decision-making about which mains to replace, and when, is one of the most important issues for asset management regarding the distribution network. With decision-support software, water companies can select which mains to…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Knowledge-based rules for PVC mains

As a result of the large-scale use of PVC by the Dutch drinking water sector since the 1950s, 52% of the current drinking water distribution network is made of this pipe material.…

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Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
New applications of subsurface water storage in practice

Subsurface water storage and supply-building offer multiple opportunities for the development of robust water systems and their responsible exploitation. Pilots can contribute to demonstrating the application range and…

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Enabling technologies
New materials and technologies
Smart Wellfield: gains from smart management or separate abstraction?

In several Vitens’ wellfields, water quality varies greatly from well to well. This has adverse consequences for the treatment of the abstracted water. Over the past few years,…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Efficient hot water heating

As homes become better insulated, energy consumption for spatial heating is decreasing. It is therefore increasingly important to have a clear picture of another reason for household energy consumption: hot water heating. In this project we determined…

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Sustainability
Sustainable resources
Treating spent IEX regenerant streams

Ion exchange (IEX) is being increasingly used for the removal of organics, for example, for purposes of removing water colour and water hardness. KatIEX is used for removing hardness, and AnIEX for…

Read more about Treating spent IEX regenerant streams
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Rapid Filtration Engineering Assistant

The application of rapid sand filtration combined with front-end aeration forms a robust barrier in the removal of ammonium, iron and/or manganese from (ground)water. Rapid filtration systems are applied at a large…

Read more about Rapid Filtration Engineering Assistant
Health
Biological activity
Validation and standardisation of the BPP test for drinking water

Since regrowth of microorganisms in the water distribution system is not desirable, the Dutch water companies strive to produce drinking water with a low microbial growth potential. In…

Read more about Validation and standardisation of the BPP test for drinking water
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Consequences of intake of back-up Lek water on drinking water quality and dune ecology

As a result of climate change, low river discharge levels are occurring more frequently and for longer periods in the Meuse. This can structurally change the river’s water…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Material properties required for shallowly buried pipes

Brabant Water has developed the concept the Tertiaire Net van de Toekomst (TNT) (Tertiary Network of the Future). According to this vision, the tertiary network will be installed…

Read more about Material properties required for shallowly buried pipes
Society
Citizen science and public participation
Customer perception/experience and infrastructure

Vitens has for many years focused on giving its customers peace of mind by providing them with water of impeccable quality. Under the heading of ‘customer excellence’, the company recently announced its…

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Health
Emerging contaminants
Data mining in suspect screening data; searching for relevant new chemicals in different water types

Data from suspect screening analyses collected over the past few years contain a treasure of information. The data originate from samples of drinking water, groundwater, surface water and…

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Society
Valorisation
Towards a multidisciplinary BTO: Insights and recommendations from the literature

A need has arisen within the water sector’s joint research programme (BTO) for more multidisciplinary research. This research is especially suited to tackle (aspects of) complex issues, such…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Elaboration of heat-cold recovery from drinking water

Water companies want to actively contribute to cutting back the societal costs associated with the consumption of fossil fuel energy in connection with drinking water use. Among the…

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Sustainability
Sustainable resources
BTO workshop on Collaboration Opportunities in the Cycle

The water companies have the intention of reducing their CO2 footprint. But their own operations consume a limited amount of energy, and there are only modest levels of…

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Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Future water use and peak factors under climate change

According the prognoses of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), weather extremes, such as heat and drought, will become more frequent and long-lasting. Peaks in water consumption will…

Read more about Future water use and peak factors under climate change
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Incorporation of soil nutrients and acidity into PROBE

The vegetation composition in freshwater natural ecosystems can be explained on the basis of the soil moisture, nutrient fertility and acidity. A reliable assessment of how the vegetation…

Read more about Incorporation of soil nutrients and acidity into PROBE
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Robustness of the drinking water infrastructure

Drinking water consumption and the functionality of the drinking water infrastructure are subject to the influence of external developments, such as new sanitation concepts or decreased population levels. These factors can influence…

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Health
Biological activity
Modelling regrowth in the distribution network

Regrowth in the distribution network is a complex phenomenon. Measures to manage regrowth in the distribution network have hitherto been based on a trial-and-error approach. We need a model-based description of the…

Read more about Modelling regrowth in the distribution network
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Strategies for the optimal placement of water quality sensors in the distribution network

Monitoring water quality with sensors placed at strategic points in the distribution network provides an online picture of water quality during its distribution and in the vicinity of…

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Sustainability
Sustainable energy
Exploration of climate-neutrality in the water cycle at the tactical and strategic level

Practically all water companies have ambitions and objectives concerning a climate-neutral water cycle. In the first instance, these ambitions target the drinking-water part of the water cycle, but,…

Read more about Exploration of climate-neutrality in the water cycle at the tactical and strategic level
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
PROBE 3: an innovative model for vegetation development, groundwater recharge and nitrate leaching in a changing climate

Climate change can be expected to have big consequences for groundwater-independent vegetations, precisely because they rely entirely on the atmosphere for their water. Over the past few years,…

Read more about PROBE 3: an innovative model for vegetation development, groundwater recharge and nitrate leaching in a changing climate
Sustainability
Sustainable use of freshwater resources
Towards an optimal management of wellfields; conduct of two pilots

We still don’t know enough about how well clogging, energy use and treatment management can be optimised in an integrated manner, and the extent to which integrated optimisation…

Read more about Towards an optimal management of wellfields; conduct of two pilots
Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Performance of nanotechnology-based membranes in the removal of pathogens and organic micropollutants

Applications of nanotechnology in (drinking) water treatment will possibly lead to revolutionary new applications (breakthrough technology), energy and chemical savings, reduced residual streams and fewer operational problems (e.g.,…

Read more about Performance of nanotechnology-based membranes in the removal of pathogens and organic micropollutants
Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Physical vulnerability of mains to climate change

Climate change can lead to a higher probability of failure in drinking water mains. Analysis of failure data in USTORE, covering the last five years, shows that the number of pipe fractures…

Read more about Physical vulnerability of mains to climate change
Sustainability
Climate change and resilience
Future temperature in the distribution network under the impact of urbanisation and climate change

Water temperature at the pumping station has limited impact on the temperature at the tap, but groundwater temperature does have a strong impact. If ground temperatures increase because…

Read more about Future temperature in the distribution network under the impact of urbanisation and climate change
Health
Emerging contaminants
Ground passage in the adaptation of surface-water water companies due to population aging and climate change

According to predictions based on anticipated population aging and climate change, the concentrations of pharmaceuticals in surface water will significantly increase in the years ahead. Because of protracted…

Read more about Ground passage in the adaptation of surface-water water companies due to population aging and climate change
Health
Emerging contaminants
Improving water quality prognosis at surface water intake points for drinking water supply

In an earlier project, ‘Developments in water quality at surface water intake points for drinking water supply’, prognoses were made for water quality under the impact of climate…

Read more about Improving water quality prognosis at surface water intake points for drinking water supply
Health
Emerging contaminants
Occurrence and removal of nanoparticles in drinking water treatment

Because of the global increase in the use of nanoparticles, in consumer and pharmaceutical products for example, it is expected that they will increasingly become a source of…

Read more about Occurrence and removal of nanoparticles in drinking water treatment
Sustainability
Sustainable resources
Improvement potential of residuals from WML drinking water production

The drinking water production process at Limburg Water Distribution Company (WML) results in a variety of residuals: liquid aquafer, lime pellets, back-wash water, (iron) lime sludge and filter…

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Enabling technologies
Innovative water treatment technologies
Iron and manganese removal in above-ground sand filters and subsurface: processes understood

In groundwater treatment, it is often essential that the iron and manganese removal run well. Even if the techniques involved have been in use for decades, a lot…

Read more about Iron and manganese removal in above-ground sand filters and subsurface: processes understood
Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Path and prerequisites for implementation of backtracing and source identification in hydraulic packages

In the event of a drinking water contamination incident, the tracing of the contamination source is crucial in limiting the negative impact on customer satisfaction and health. Hydraulic…

Read more about Path and prerequisites for implementation of backtracing and source identification in hydraulic packages
Health
Emerging contaminants
Advanced oxidation for drinking water treatment

Advanced oxidation processes, which degrade organic micropollutants, offer a solution whenever the removal of micropollutants is not practical nor possible using other methods. This research involves inventorizing possible applicable advanced oxidation techniques…

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Enabling technologies
Future-proof networks
Prediction model condition-determination of cementitious mains – Data mining phase 2

To further structure its existing mains replacement policy, Brabant Water wants to gain more insight into factors that play a role in the leaching of cementitious mains. It…

Read more about Prediction model condition-determination of cementitious mains – Data mining phase 2

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Experts

Sandra Sikkema
Scientific researcher
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Sandra Sikkema

Scientific researcher

Sandra Sikkema is a researcher in water governance on the Resilience Management & Governance team. In 2021 she graduated in International Land & Water Management, specialising in Water, Society &…

030-6069711

sandra.sikkema@kwrwater.nl

06-54290049

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Christie Stuut-Klaucke MSc
Communications consultant
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Christie Stuut-Klaucke MSc

Communications consultant

Christie Stuut is an experienced marketing and communications consultant. Her expertise lies in the field of positioning, strategic communication and the further development of company vision to (online) communication. Within…

030-6069635

christie.stuut@kwrwater.nl

06-15604976

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Julian Muñoz Sierra PhD EngD
Scientific researcher Project manager
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Julian Muñoz Sierra PhD EngD

Scientific researcher Project manager

Julian Muñoz Sierra is a scientific researcher on the Water Treatment and Resource Recovery team. He studied chemical engineering at the National University of Colombia. He worked as a process…

030-6069672

julian.munoz@kwrwater.nl

06-52891321

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Anne Mathilde Hummelen MSc
Manager Joint Water Sector Research programme
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Anne Mathilde Hummelen MSc

Manager Joint Water Sector Research programme

Anne Mathilde Hummelen is programme manager of the Joint Research Programme, the collective research programme for Dutch drinking water. As a programme manager, she makes sure that relevant developments in…

030-6069733

Anne.Hummelen@kwrwater.nl

06-51897085

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Ina Vertommen MSc
Manager Scientific researcher
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Ina Vertommen MSc

Manager Scientific researcher

Ina Vertommen is the team leader of Hydroinformatics at KWR. In this role, she is responsible for the content and profile of the team. The team's goal is to strengthen…

030-6069739

ina.vertommen@kwrwater.nl

06-11599514

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News

Blog

Connecting generations and looking at the future of drinking water together

22 March 2023 — Tijdens het GRROW-symposium bespraken een panel uit de praktijk en drinkwaterprofessionals de realisatie van de ontwikkelde toekomstbeelden Water…

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News

Possible futures for a healthy water system at GRROW Symposium

16 March 2023 — “Technological solutions are indispensable to meet the rise in drinking water demand,” said Brabant Water director Rob van…

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News

Submit nominations now for the 2023 BTO Implementation Award

16 February 2023 — The BTO Festival returns on 8 June 2023. On this festive day celebrating forty years of the Joint…

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Blog

Sharing knowledge on innovations in the water sector

24 November 2022 — A series of 2021-22 webinars, titled ‘Sharing International Experiences in Water Supply’, has shown how a united water…

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News

Looking ahead for groundwater research

10 November 2022 — Groundwater extraction for drinking water production will probably be affected by changes in the chemical quality of groundwater…

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News

Impact of research on water practices

31 October 2022 — The Joint Research Programme (BTO) and Water in the Circular Economy (WiCE) are the collective research programmes of…

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News

Networking day brings young professionals in the drinking water sector closer together

19 July 2022 — The first Networking Day for young professionals in the drinking water sector took place at KWR Water in…

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News

HOD Update: opportunities and challenges for drinking water

08 July 2022 — On Thursday, 30 June, KWR organised ‘HOD Update’ for the first time with our partner Wateropleidingen: a networking…

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News

How are we going to prepare the water sector for data-driven decision-making?

02 June 2022 — Traditional decision making often relies on intuition, experience and theory. Data can play an important role in strategic…

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News

Even smarter water saving with smart water meters: a customer-oriented approach

02 June 2022 — Drought, a growing demand for water and increased pressure on drinking water sources are issues of constant concern…

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Blog

Serious games contribute to stakeholder dialogue

12 April 2022 — Serious games are increasingly being used to support the dialogue between stakeholders from different sectors. Read more about…

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News

Drinking Water Operational Codes: from research to implementation

04 April 2022 — With the aim of achieving more uniformity in the operational management at drinking water utilities, KWR is working…

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Blog

Finding appropriate water management practices: a shared responsibility

01 February 2022 — The environment we live in is fast-changing. Ongoing climate change, growing global populations and the intensification of economic…

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News

Tool to help the implementation of Thermal Energy from Drinking Water (TED)

07 January 2022 — In the Climate Agreement, the Dutch government committed to reducing the emission of CO2. The construction sector is…

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News

Applied research with an impact on working with water

06 December 2021 — KWR is involved in a range of research programmes, including BTO (joint research for water companies) and WiCE…

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News

New Legionella regulations to be rooted in latest scientific understanding

06 December 2021 — Scientific research into Legionella has yielded many new insights over the past twenty years that are now being…

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News

KWR’s Joint Research Programme and Watershare share knowledge in international webinar series

16 November 2021 — In the coming months, KWR will organise a webinar series on ‘Sharing International Experiences on Water Supply’. During…

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News

Meaning of circularity for the water sector

01 November 2021 — Discover different angles of circularity in the water sector, the future vision on this or how circularity can…

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News

Water in the circular economy (WiCE) brings water sector together

12 October 2021 — The societal challenges of today and tomorrow call for a united water sector. Big issues such as the…

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News

Digital tools help water utilities address knowledge loss

23 September 2021 — What happens if several experienced colleagues leave the organisation? How can you prevent this from creating problems resulting…

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News

Joint effort to address climate changes

21 September 2021 — Climate change confronts the drinking water sector with a range of urgent questions. The consequences for drinking water…

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News

Joint Research Programme/WiCE and STOWA study use of viruses against Legionella in wastewater streams

16 September 2021 — Within the Joint Research Programme-WiCE (Water in the Circular Economy) programme, KWR and STOWA are studying the extent…

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News

Handles to determine the occurrence of microplastics in the urban water cycle

04 August 2021 — The doctoral thesis, ‘Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Urban Water Cycle’, by Svenja Mintenig helps the water sector…

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News

Multiple values of water

07 July 2021 — The Implementation of Multiple Value Creation project began this year as part of the Water in the Circular…

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News

Making SENSE Of Diverse, Decentralised Water Innovations

06 July 2021 — The invention of piped sanitation systems has rightly been credited as one of the most significant medical milestones…

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News

Urgency and transparency drive research

06 July 2021 — Demand-driven research and open communications: two success factors in sector research for water companies (BTO). That has been…

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News

New BTO Water Matters Podcast

21 June 2021 — The Dutch water utilities, the Flemish De Watergroep and the branch association Vewin, together with KWR, carry out…

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News

Assessment framework to involve stakeholders in asset management

01 June 2021 — The sector study ‘360° stakeholder management’ systematically mapped out and analysed stakeholder involvement in three practical cases in…

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News

Interest in smart water networks on the increase

01 June 2021 — Establishing smart water networks requires vision, patience and stamina. This is not an easy task, as was shown…

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News

Drought monitoring and watering advice: youngsters join the process

28 May 2021 — KWR and Brabant Water have launched in Eindhoven a Joint Research Programme project on drought monitoring, citizen science…

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News

Hazards of consumer products to the water cycle

30 March 2021 — An investigation of twenty types of consumer products makes it clear that we are still far from the…

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News

World Water Day 2021: Valuing Water

22 March 2021 — A team of more than 20 KWR colleagues signed up to join the World Water Run from 16-22…

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News

Serious game tackles challenges for regional water provision

02 March 2021 — The development of a serious game should provide all stakeholders in the water cycle – including those with…

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News

Operational Code for Drinking Water Valve Management

26 February 2021 — The new Operational Code for Drinking Water Valve Management (PCD 15) was recently completed. Drawn up as a…

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News

Sources and effects of microplastics in water still not sufficiently known

22 February 2021 — The Deltafact Microplastics of the Chain Explorer, a project within the Water Quality Knowledge Impulse programme, was recently…

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News

Jury and public choose Comsima as winner of BTO Implementation Award

15 February 2021 — On Thursday, 11 February, the Comsima team was presented with the BTO 2020 Implementation Award from the digital…

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News

BTO Festivalweek 2021

07 January 2021 — From Monday, 8 February, through to Thursday, 11 February, KWR and the water utilities are organising the ‘BTO…

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News

Water research opportunities in COVID year 2020

18 December 2020 — The global COVID pandemic posed enormous challenges for all sectors of society in 2020. The national and international…

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News

Autonomous Inspection Robots game-changer for asset management

20 November 2020 — A system of autonomously operating robots, which remain in the pipe network almost permanently, would significantly enhance knowledge…

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Blog

Focus on EU projects in webinar series for Dutch water utilities

26 October 2020 — KWR works in EU Projects that are of direct relevance and impact for the drinking water utilities. Over…

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News

Water Wise: Decision-support system for safe water-use and water-reuse cycles

15 September 2020 — KWR has developed Water Wise, a concept to meet the need for a simple-to-use, transparent and consistent tool…

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News

Power-to-X in Nieuwegein a further step closer

11 August 2020 — Storage and conversion are becoming increasingly important for a robust and reliable energy system of the future. These…

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News

Developing knowledge and measures to make high sandy grounds climate-robust

21 July 2020 — Making the high-elevation sandy grounds in the Netherlands resilient to climate change: over the next four years, the…

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News

Determining buffer capacities of surface water utilities

17 October 2019 — The surface water utilities in the Netherlands dispose of buffer capacities for their drinking water provision, which guarantee…

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News

Water reuse presents opportunities

05 June 2019 — The reuse of water is becoming an increasingly central focus of attention. This reuse presents companies with important…

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News

Forecasting models and scenario development for the drinking water infrastructure

07 May 2019 — Forecasting models and scenario development can help water utilities better manage their current water infrastructure and also better…

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News

Successful BTO Research Meeting ‘Together towards the next step’

15 November 2018 — The achievement of a future-proof drinking water provision requires making well-considered choices. Is it better to direct our…

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News

Exploration: future visions of the circular economy

10 April 2018 — Exploratory research of eight key players in the circular economy (City of Amsterdam, Interface, Unilever, Natuurmonumenten, Alliander, Ministry…

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News

Good start programme water in the circular economy

31 January 2018 — Drinking water companies in the Netherlands and Belgium have taken the initiative in establishing the multi-annual ‘Water in…

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News

Code of Practice helps businesses monitor their own carbon neutrality

19 December 2017 — Calculating carbon neutrality or the CO₂ footprint is an excellent tool for industry when formulating CO₂ reduction targets.…

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News

Drinking water sector investigating potential risks of antimicrobial resistance

04 December 2017 — Antimicrobial resistance forms a risk for public health. Resistant bacteria and the genes for antimicrobial resistance are also found in…

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News

Water sector can do something about fake news

23 November 2017 — Fake news is not new, but its impact in our post-fact society is growing steadily. How can the…

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News

Water companies, Vewin and KWR build upon structural research collaboration

09 June 2017 — As of 1 January 2018, a new period of collaboration in the joint water research of the water…

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News

Structural collaboration UGhent, KU Leuven and the water sector’s joint research programme

25 April 2017 — Last year the Flemish water company De Watergroep became a member of the joint research programme of the…

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News

Transition to a hydrogen economy opens opportunities for water companies

03 April 2017 — The use of pure water for the production of hydrogen to serve as an energy carrier in a…

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News

Determining contamination source with hydraulic software packages

25 January 2017 — When a drinking water contamination incident occurs, it is very important to take action to localise the contamination…

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News

Unique citizen science project concludes: Amsterdam’s tap water is fresh

28 October 2016 — On Tuesday evening, 26 October, Amsterdam citizen scientists, KWR professional researchers and numerous other interested people gathered in…

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News

De Watergroep joins collective research programme

25 April 2016 — On Thursday, 21 April, representatives of the ten Dutch water companies, VEWIN, KWR and the Flemish water company De…

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News

Research helps Vitens zoom in on customer desires more sharply

29 January 2016 — Vitens has for many years focused on giving its customers peace of mind by providing them with water…

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Subjects

Sustainability

Sustainable resources

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

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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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Joint Research Programme

Evaluation of Aeromonas legal standard

Biological stability parameters in operational practice

Water Quality Knowledge Impulse

Implementation of screening and NTS methods in practice

Environmental forensics: pollution signatures

Big data – analysis and integration of chemical and toxicological data

Toxicology on Target

Microplastics in water treatment

Are PMOCs less toxic?

Nanoplastics in drinking water

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

VO Eyes and ears for Chemical Safety 2019-2020 (LDIR and biofilm)

Clearer picture of the formation of transformation products during drinking water treatment thanks to integrated strategies

Improved prioritisation and fragmentation improve the identification of unknown substances with non-target screening

Contribution to Toxicology Knowledge Impulse

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

Integration of non-target screening, statistical analyses and bioassays for the global assessment of chemical water quality

Highly polar compounds I

New chemical analysis methods

Trigger value data gaps I and II

Exploration of sources, behaviour and risk of new substances

Digital twins for the water sector

Risk of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water

Reducing drinking-water consumption by business

GRROW – Generational and Radical Rethinking of the Water Sector

Connecting the water cycle and the water system for a better balance of water demand and supply

Predicting the biodegradation of organic micropollutants

Energy transition and Drinking Water phase 2

Water availability and drought over long term

The customer as ‘follow-up treatment actor’

Aqua ludens

Impact of substances of very high concern in the environment

Water poverty

Prediction models for the removal of organic micropollutants

Application of membrane fractionation for better understanding of biological stability of water

Prediction of freshwater supplies in the Netherlands

Multiple Value Creation Implementation

AMVD measurements

Effect of manganese on biofilm formation

Microbiological degradation of contaminants in reverse osmosis concentrate

Alternatives to post-disinfection with chlorine dioxide

Survival and growth of water lice in (2018-2020 follow-up)

Preparation RT-PCR method enterococci

Validation RT-PCR method enterococci

Deep Explorations: a explorative study for deep learning applications in the water sector

Digital Twin II

Energy transition and drinking water phase 1: overview, impact and knowledge gaps

AIR: autonomous inspection robots for drinking water pipes

Ariel

Highly polar compounds – II

Explorations by KWR and the drinking water sector in innovative water technology

Effectiveness of nitrogen-mitigation measures in dry habitats

Identifying contaminations with numerical source-determination

Water Conservation challenge

Bioassays for neuroactive substances in water

Seasonal influences of surface water on fouling potential in UF

Stand-alone local treatment for remote areas

Rainwater as a source of drinking water: production costs and environmental aspects

Implications of antibiotic resistance for drinking water production

The effect of water quality on leaching in pipes containing cement

Development of an RT-PCR for detecting enterococci

High-throughput qPCR

Bridging the gap: next-generation characterisation of AOC

Softening 2.0 at Waternet; Leiduin production location

CT scans as a reference for determining the condition of AC and PVC

Picturing the pipe network

Nanostructures on pipe walls to control regrowth

Risks of industrial emissions to air for drinking water production

Molecular-biological methods

Drought in the Pleistocene uplands of Southern, Central and Eastern Netherlands

PFAS: A Threat for the Dutch Drinking Water Cycle?

Survival and growth of water lice on organic matter in drinking water distribution networks

Mechanisms and quantification of re-contamination in dune passage

Water-quality crisis

QSAR tools and bioassays for emerging contaminants and transformation products

Exploring Serious Games

Non-target screening: quantitative and on time

Condition forecast for individual mains

Strategic decision-making for IAM: what can serious games contribute?