Delta Life Nr. 3 February 2015

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4 DELTARES, FEBRUARY 2015 5
DELTARES
IN BRIEF
IMPROVINGWATER QUALITY IN TURKEY
which targets water quality, and Ribasim,
a software program that looks at water
quantities and distribution. The WFD Explorer
shows the effect of particular measures on
water quality and the associated costs. In
that way, the water authority can strike the
right balance between the effectiveness and
the cost of an intervention. This prevents
expensive measures that produce only
marginal improvements in water quality.
The WFD Explorer was originally developed
for the Dutch water authorities to decide
which steps they can take to comply with
the requirements of the European Water
Framework Directive. But the tool can also
be used elsewhere. For example, Deltares has
developed a WFD Explorer application for New
Zealand as well.
Deltares is working on the Buyuk Menderes
project for the Turkish Ministry of Forestry and
Water Affairs in collaboration with Witteveen
+ Bos, the Peel and Maasvallei water
authority and the Turkish nature organisation
Doga Koruma Merkezi. The project is being
subsidised through the Partners for Water
programme, which is coordinated by the
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
In february, Deltares tests the design of the
tidal lagoon for Swansea Bay, South Wales.
With sixteen turbines that can deliver 320 MW,
the tidal lagoon will be the world’s largest. It
was built to scale in the facilities hall in Delft
so that the hydrodynamic efficiency of the
design could be tested in detail. The aim will be
to prevent unnecessary energy losses as water
flows in and out, enhancing the power output
of the lagoon.
The plan involves building a breakwater in the
bay that will be about fifty to one hundred
metres wide and almost 10 kilometres long.
The breakwater does not seal off the bay
completely; it creates a lagoon in one part of
the bay, minimising the impact on the existing
infrastructure, ecosystem and surroundings.
Deltares conducts the test for Tidal Lagoon
(Swansea Bay) PLC.
D eltares is helping the Turkish
government to improve water
quality in the catchment of the
Buyuk Menderes River. There are
numerous problems with the water quality
in this river because of the countless dams,
civil engineering structures, and agricultural
and industrial activities. Deltares will provide
a range of software tools for the restoration
of water quality and monitor their use by
the water management authority. The tools
provide a picture of the problems and work
out which measures are most effective.
The tools being used are the WFD Explorer,
THE WORLD’S LARGEST TIDAL LAGOON
Breakwater measuring
between fifty and
a hundred metres
wide and almost ten
kilometres long.
16 320MW
TURBINES
DELIVER
10 km
More reports on
ANCHORING SYSTEM
STABILISES DIKE FROM
THE INSIDE
A new, innovative anchoring system is being developed to strengthen dikes from
the inside. The benefit is that the dike is reinforced without changing its shape
and impacting the locality as a result. Deltares has been involved in a large-scale
field trial of the new system in its capacity as a consultant to the Rivierenland
Water Authority. The trial is being conducted by JLD contracting, Wiertsema and
Partners, and Anteagroep at a trial location in Purmerend in the Netherlands.
The anchoring system consists of an array of earth anchors (JLD anchors). A
plate is mounted on the top of the anchor. The anchor takes up tension forces,
stabilising the dike as a result. This technology makes efficient use of the strength
of the existing dike.
PRECISION MAPPING OF FRESH AND SALT
GROUNDWATER
Zeeland will be the first region in the Netherlands to map out the underground
distribution of fresh and salt water. This is being done with a helicopter carrying a
special measuring instrument. The measuring instrument uses electromagnetic
radiation to measure electrical conductivity in the subsurface and the groundwater.
These measurements will with information about the geology, groundwater systems
and alternative measurements, be transformed into a three-dimensional picture of
the fresh-brackish-salt distribution in the groundwater. Deltares is collaborating with
TNO and the German BGR on this project. The measurements will make it clear
where fresh water can be stored. In the future it may be necessary to store rainwater
because, as a result of sea-level rise, there may be problems with freshwater supplies.
The mapping is being done for the Provincial Authority of Zeeland, the municipal
authorities of Zeeland, Scheldestromen Water Authority, Evides, the Flemish-Dutch
Scheldt Commission, Rijkswaterstaat and the Southern Agricultural Organisation.
PASSIVE
SAMPLER
POLLUTANTS TRACED
FASTER IN GROUNDWATER
Deltares is developing a new type of passive
sampler that will make it possible to trace
pollutants such as pesticides and medicines
in groundwater, even in very low concentra-
tions. That is good news for water companies
whose water supplies come from groundwater.
Current analysis techniques fail to detect
extremely low concentrations of substances.
Concentrating compounds by using passive
samplers makes this possible and establishes
a better picture of water quality. The samplers
have already been used successfully, but
only in surface water so far.
The new passive sampler is good news
for water companies that obtain their
drinking water from groundwater.