Nature inclusive water resources management

KWR’s research on nature inclusive water resources management is directed at the relations between water management interventions and habitat conditions. These relations are complex, encompass both water quantity and water quality, and at the same time have effects on other stress factors, such as the nitrogen deposition. In its investigations KWR can build, among others, upon more than 40 years’ research into the combination of water abstraction and nature development in the Dutch infiltration dunes.

Methods, tools and products

In the research on nature inclusive water resources management, process knowledge about the Dutch infiltration dunes is applied to similar solutions in other parts of the Netherlands. For example, our process knowledge about flow patterns, the behaviour of substances in the subsurface, and the interaction between groundwater, soil and habitat conditions helps us configure water management measures in a way that also benefits nature.

The Drought portal brings together current data about precipitation, soil moisture, groundwater levels and discharges in the elevated sandy areas of the Netherlands. Besides the current situation, the portal also provides an indication, based on precipitation, precipitation surplus and groundwater levels, of the current drought situation from a historical perspective. This information makes it possible to spatially depict the state of the water system for agriculture, nature and the drinking water provision during period of drought.

HydroMonitor s analysis, various other influences, such as precipitation, evaporation, drainage and groundwater abstraction, can be distinguished from each other. These analyses are used to assess whether water management measures have had the desired impact on groundwater levels, to extend, harmonise or project time series, and to quickly produce groundwater statistics from a time series set.

WaterVision Nature (WWN) is a freely available tool that calculates the effects of climate change, nitrogen deposition and water management on the terrestrial vegetation of nature areas. The tool’s applications include the assessment of the effects of water management, water abstraction and nitrogen deposition on nature, the identification of development opportunities for nature, and the assessment of the effectiveness of restoration measures.

Projects

KWR works in various projects on realising a nature inclusive water system:

In high sandy ground regions there is frequently a phase difference between water supply and demand. During the winter period there is a water surplus because of the rainfall and high river discharge, while in the summer water shortages occur as a result of high evapotranspiration levels. This caused water shortages for agriculture and nature during the dry summers of 2018, 2019 and 2020. One promising approach to the desiccation of high sandy grounds is the storage of water surpluses during the winter season, for subsequent use during the summer season. In the Storage of Water: The Stippelberg | KWR (kwrwater.nl) project, we investigated the possibilities of using the subsurface space in dry nature areas for this purpose. We explored for the drinking water utilities which water system measures could be employed to this end, such as the infiltration of water surpluses, the modification of the drainage networks, and the reduction of evapotranspiration through the transformation of the ground cover.

The Water production and nature in dune areas project demonstrated on the basis of 30-40 years’ data, the effectiveness of drastically modified abstraction systems and comprehensive nature restoration projects in the dune water abstraction areas. The data showed that an important goal was achieved in the restoration of moist dune valley vegetations. Sufficient water production was also maintained and the freshwater supply preserved.

Good drinking water/water quality starts with good reservoir management. New developments, such as new guidelines for cyanotoxins, floating solar panels and growing demand for drinking water, can possibly impact the microbiological stability of reservoirs. Moreover, the nature objectives of the Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000 that apply to these reservoirs call for tailored management. In the project on Reservoir management, algal growth and sun on water – KWR (kwrwater.nl) we carried out a literature study to identify the knowledge gaps of the dune water utilities.