{"id":75522,"date":"2024-07-02T13:37:30","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T11:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kwrwater.nl\/actueel\/recreate-systeembreed-kijken-naar-het-watersysteem\/"},"modified":"2024-07-03T16:36:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T14:36:03","slug":"recreate-systeembreed-kijken-naar-het-watersysteem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kwrwater.nl\/en\/actueel\/recreate-systeembreed-kijken-naar-het-watersysteem\/","title":{"rendered":"RECREATE: a system-wide look at the water system"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the European Horizon RECREATE project, water utility PWN and KWR are working together on a case study in which the serious game Aqua Ludens will be applied to the situation in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland. PWN gets most water for drinking water production from the IJsselmeer lake but it wants to expand the diversity of its sources and so it is looking explicitly at possible alternatives. In the process, they are enthusiastically using the opportunities for research afforded by European projects. Iverna Cr\u00e9ton, drinking water policy advisor at PWN: \u201cIt is only by working with all stakeholders together that we can develop a robust water system.\u201d RECREATE brings together fifteen years of scientific development relating to alternative water sources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cTo deal with the consequences of population growth and climate change, and the increasing pressure on the quality and quantity of sources, we need to look at our water system differently,\u201d says Cr\u00e9ton. \u201cPWN wants to be flexible and that means working on source diversity. We are trying to make our main source \u2013 the IJsselmeer \u2013 more robust by establishing a climate buffer while looking at possible alternative sources such as brackish groundwater, underground water storage or other buffers. In that way, we aim to make our water system more robust so that we will no longer have to depend solely on the IJsselmeer. That means you have to look at the system as a whole: everything is interrelated.\u201d So Cr\u00e9ton is very pleased with the case study that began recently in the European RECREATE<\/a> project: experts from PWN, KWR and stakeholders from the area are going to adapt the serious game Aqua Ludens<\/a> and the underlying system dynamic model to use it in decision-making about new and alternative sources in Noord-Holland.<\/p>\n

Adapting Aqua Ludens for Noord-Holland<\/h2>\n

Aqua Ludens was developed as part of WiCE<\/a> for Groningen. By replacing the system dynamic model behind Aqua Ludens with a model tailored to Noord-Holland, the game can study the potential effects of using alternative sources at one site on water at other sites and on other water functions. Cr\u00e9ton: \u201cIn Groningen, groundwater problems are the main issue; here in the delta by the sea, we actually have to work with the variable quality and availability of surface water: that is a very different case, and so it also has added value for the further development of Aqua Ludens. PWN will use the new game inside the organisation to work through the issues relating to our water system but we definitely also want to collaborate with other stakeholders \u2013 and Aqua Ludens is ideal for that purpose. We want to tackle questions together, such as what happens if we switch to additional sources for drinking water extraction like brackish water. Alternative sources are of course much smaller than our main source, the IJsselmeer, but an additional source or extra storage in our system could have a huge impact locally. We also want to know what happens when our major industrial water consumers switch to other sources. With a serious game for Noord-Holland, we want to create understanding and support among all stakeholders \u2013 because it is only with all stakeholders together that we can develop a robust water system.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Image 1. The ‘jellyfish’ taking in water in the North Holland dunes between Castricum and Heemskerk (Noord-Holland case study).<\/p><\/div>\n

RECREATE \u2013 towards more resilient water systems with alternative sources<\/h2>\n

The Horizon Europe RECREATE project kicked off in mid-March with a meeting in Barcelona. Eleven European partners will be teaming up for four years to strengthen the resilience of water supplies by using alternative sources and additional buffers such as underground water storage. This is happening precisely in regions affected by water scarcity or the threat of it due to climate change \u2013 in addition to Noord-Holland, they include the Greek island of Syros, the Costa Brava in Spain and the Kalundborg industrial area in Denmark. KWR is leading the work package with the four case studies, one of which is therefore Noord-Holland, but the RECREATE scope is much broader. This Horizon Europe project<\/a> was established to improve the resilience of water supplies and protect natural water sources by facilitating options for drawing on alternative water sources in regions where water is scarce. The aim of RECREATE is to raise awareness of, and confidence in, alternative water sources as a solution for climate adaptation. An open access database will be established with information about cost efficiency, the environmental and health impacts of different technologies, and alternative forms of water management. RECREATE will deliver a decision-support framework that includes climate impact modules, adaptation strategies and a decision matrix to develop adaptive water management pathways together.<\/p>\n

RECREATE case studies<\/h2>\n

This is being demonstrated in regional case studies showing the integration of the water cycle. In addition to this elaboration of a serious game for Noord-Holland<\/a>, there are three others.<\/p>\n