Availability of national groundwater reserves
Freshwater is vital for our drinking water, agriculture, shipping, nature, energy and industry. Longer periods of drought and higher temperatures are increasing the demand for fresh water, while salt water is increasingly penetrating the country. Deltares plays an important role in addressing the increasing demand for fresh water and finding solutions for the decreasing supply.
The more our climate changes, the greater the demand for water. Examples of this increase are the flushing of water systems to prevent salinisation, irrigation of agricultural areas and a greater demand for drinking water. Rewetting of peatlands to prevent subsidence and thereby reduce CO2 emissions will become a new major demand for water. The balance of supply and demand will be disrupted. This will lead to physical and other social damage. In the Netherlands, provinces have therefore designated Additional Strategic Reserves for the development of new drinking water sources until approximately 2040. In addition, National Groundwater Reserves have been designated for future crisis situations in which existing sources are unusable. From 2022 to 2024, Deltares and TNO worked on mapping these reserves. They carried out an analysis of suitable Dutch groundwater resources using the REGIS geohydrological model and the National Elevation Model. They looked at geological structure, fresh-brackish-saline boundaries and the age of the groundwater.
Deltares and TNO inventoried the current and future use of these groundwater resources and took long-term developments such as climate change and the 'Water and Soil Steering' policy into account. They also investigated the potential of alternative groundwater resources such as seepage water from polders and groundwater under the IJsselmeer region.
Balancing interests
Together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, we regularly involve a broad group of stakeholders to get their feedback. This allows us to give the government specific advice on the demarcation and protection of groundwater reserves. The advice helps the government balance drinking water supply against other interests, such as energy supply from the subsurface.
I experienced your dedicated guidance as a fascinating and challenging journey in co-creation and was just as important to me as the beautiful end result: a solid foundation for National Groundwater Reserves
Igo Jellema, hydrologist of the Province of Gelderland
