WATER HUSBANDRY
Bringing in fresh water from
elsewhere is one way of tackling
water shortages, but it is not
cheap. The concept of Water
Husbandry was developed for
areas that want to be self-sufficient (at least in part). It
involves the establishment of a
partnership for water users in a
particular area. Together, farmers,
local inhabitants, municipal auth
orities and water management
agencies manage (in other words,
collect, store
and
deliver) the
water so that no extra supplies are
needed fromelsewhere. The con
cept was introduced for the first
time on the Walcheren peninsula
in the province of Zeeland (NL).
The behaviour of all the stake
holders was transformed froma
focus on individual interests to
joint action. The farmers of the
WalcherenWater Husbandry
have now pooled their efforts and
established a foundation, intro
ducing the first joint measures
to improve freshwater supplies:
underground storage, separat
ing fresh and salt ditches, and
changes to water management.
SOLUTIONS
FOR FRESHWATER
SCARCITY
The mismatch between
freshwater supply and
demand is steadily
worsening. If no steps
are taken, competition
between the various users
will simply intensify.
Fortunately, there are
ways of tackling the
problem. Delta Life has
drafted an overview of a
number of solutions. From
information systems and
underground storage to
controlled drainage and
governance concepts.
DOSSIER
WATER SCARCITY
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FORECASTING
SYSTEMS
Drought forecasting systems
can be used to predict
periods of water scarcity
or drought well in advance.
This allows water managers
and users to respond in good
time. They can, for example,
make adjustments to crop
planning and reservoir
management, or make
preparations to allocate
water differently and/
or introduce water intake
restrictions.
Deltares is developing
Drought Early Warning
Systems based on Delft-
FEWS for seasonal forecasts
of available water. Delft-
FEWS is a software system
that is used worldwide
by water managers for
operational hydrological
forecasts. Combining
weather forecasts with
hydrological models
for snow volumes, soil
moisture, groundwater
and river discharge rates
makes it possible to
develop a Drought Early
Warning System which
can be used for, among
other things, Rijkswater
staat's Water Management
Operational System. The
system supports national
decision-making processes
during periods of drought by
supplying real-time forecasts
about groundwater and
surface water.
WORLDWIDE
INFORMATION SYSTEM
FOR WATER SCARCITY
It is important to have forecasts
about water resources and water
scarcity throughout the world so
that steps can be taken in time. The
EU project GLOWASIS (Global Water
Scarcity Information Service), in
which Deltares plays a leading role,
has studied global water resources
and water scarcity, resulting in a
planetary forecasting service for
drought and water scarcity that links
water consumption to hydrological
models and satellite data. The
follow-up project eartH2Observe
(2014-2017) is quantifying all parts
of the water cycle (precipitation,
evaporation, discharge rates, soil
moisture, groundwater, reservoirs)
with the aim of quantifying all the
planet's water resources. This is
done using a range of global models,
satellite data and local data, and it
is an important step on the road to
the operational quantification and
forecasting of water resources and
water scarcity.
For more information:
and
SURVEY
OF WATER
RESOURCES
For effective water
management in
coastal areas, which
are popular locations
for drinking water
extraction and agri
culture, it is important
to have a clear picture
of the amounts and
distribution of salt and
fresh groundwater.
This makes it possible
to take better decisions
about water manage
ment and identifies
opportunities in areas
like Aquifer Storage
and Recovery (ASR).
Large amounts of data
are needed to establish
reliable prognoses.
Because traditional
methods are expensive
and because the in
formation they collect
about particular areas
is very broad-brush, it
was recently decided to
start working with an
Airborne Electromag
netic (AEM) survey.
This approach involves
using a helicopter to
collect data. One of
the benefits is that
AEM surveys are quick
and cost-effective,
providing area-wide
information about
salt/fresh distributions
in groundwater.
By adopting a different
approach to controlling
drainage themselves, farmers
can help to improve water
distribution over the course of
the year. The current approach
to drainage often involves
removing excess rainwater
very quickly, and this leads to
a shortage of fresh water in
the summer months. Making
drainage controllable allows
farmers tomanage the water
regime on their landmuch
better and to store rainwater
for the growing season. There
are several different methods
available for controllable
drainage systems. In the
province of Twente (NL),
controllable drainage is
being used to retain water for
longer on agricultural land,
an approach that generates
benefits for nature in the
vicinity at the same time.
In the province of Zeeland,
controllable drainage is being
used to increase the size of the
freshwater lens and therefore
to enhance water stocks.
In many countries, reservoirs
with surface water are used for
water supplies when water is
short or for specific purposes such
as hydroelectric plants. There can
often be several reservoirs in an
area that serves different functions
and users, and the increasingly
scarce fresh water needs to be used
optimally. Proper management
of these reservoirs requires
the intelligent control of the
available water. Deltares is
developing advanced knowledge
and software, and we make
this available through the open
software framework of RTC tools
(RTC stands for Real-Time Control)
to make the most of scarce
water resources.
MULTI-RESERVOIR
MANAGEMENT
MULTIFUNCTIONAL
WATER STORAGE
For more information:
Remco van Ek,
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UNDER-
GROUND
STORAGE
The underground
storage of fresh water
is one way of main
taining freshwater
supplies in deltas and
coastal areas. This
involves storing water
underground during
periods when there
is excess water and
using the stocks built
up in this way during
dry periods. A study
is being conducted
in the GO-FRESH
Testing Ground in the
province of Zeeland
(NL) to determine
the extent to which
local measures can
be used to enhance
freshwater availability
in rural areas. By
combining knowledge
about water systems,
smart drainage
techniques, innovative
on-line monitoring
technologies and the
participation of all
stakeholders, progress
is being made towards
the establishment
of robust regional
freshwater supplies.
Storing water above ground is a familiar
form of preparation for dry periods in many
countries. The inland shore concept is a new
type of surface storage. An inland shore is an
area that is linked to the main water system.
It combines water storage with economic
and ecological functions that can cope with
changes in water levels and also maintain
water quality.
The first inland shore has been established in
the Koopmanspolder in the province of North
Holland. Water management here focuses
not only on storing water but also on natural
functions, fishing and recreation. A pilot
study will be launched soon in the Wieringer
meer polder, combining water storage with
agricultural engineering projects such as
floating horticulture and aquaculture.
CONTROLLABLE
DRAINAGE
