Lectures – Integrated water and soil management
LECTURE 1
- Part of lecture written in summary of book.
Drivers for challenges:
- Population growth.
- Climate change.
- Wealth increase (growing demand).
Water systems approach: groundwater, surface water and environment all interact.
- + biotic communities.
- + all physical/chemical/biological characteristics and processes.
D (drivers).
- Population change, land use change, urbanization.
P (pressures).
- Water extraction, pollution, soil sealing.
S (State).
- Water level, soil, habitat.
I (impact).
Problems, (economic damage, biodiversity loss).
R (Response).
- Measures, taxes, laws.
DPSIR framework.
Extraction much larger than recharge of groundwater in dry areas like California, middle east
and northern India.
Payment principles in water management in the Netherlands:
1. Interest payment control.
a. Water boards/Waterschappen.
2. Polluter pays.
a. Law on surface water pollution, 1970.
3. General laws.
a. When costs cannot be assigned to an area/person.
History of water management in The Netherlands:
- 1000-1970:
o Protect against flooding dikes.
o Food production polders.
o Focus: quantity.
- 1970-...
o Water pollution wastewater treatment plants.
o Focus: quality – chemical.
, - 1990-...
o Water ecology EU water framework directive.
o Focus: quality – ecologic.
- 2010-...
o Recovery of energy and resources.
o Quality – sustainability.
Protection 0.0 adaption.
Protection 1.0: start of water management.
- Drainage, dikes, diver dams, polders, drainage of lakes, pumping canals, estuaries.
o Causes continuous subsidence, creating low-Netherlands.
o The Netherlands started sinking because water was extracted from the soil
(subsidence) dikes needed.
Low tide: discharge water under gravity.
High tide: close drainage pipe.
When land subsides are below low tide, pumping is necessary.
Water quality management:
- Public health.
o Piped drinking water supply, sewerage prevention of diseases.
- Surface water pollution water treatment plants.
- Groundwater pollution.
NL- water policy development
1. Administrative organization.
a. Water board/waterschappen.
i. Functional democracy chosen by people in the area.
1. Only about water.
ii. Management of regional/local waters.
b. State water works (rijkswaterstaat).
i. Larger water systems.
ii. Management of national waters.
c. Provinces controlling function.
d. Municipalities dewatering of municipal soil/sewerage plan.
2. Aim of water policy.
a. Sustainable water system.
b. Quantity, quality, groundwater and surface water, different interests all
balanced.
3. Planning system for water policy.
a. Vertical: government layers
i. State
ii. Province
iii. Water board
1. Top-down
b. Horizontal: policy fields
i. Water
, ii. Spatial planning
iii. Environment
iv. Nature
4. Some principles in water policy.
a. Interests = payment = control
b. Retain, store, discharge
c. Displacement principle
5. Paradigm shift in policy.
Aim of Dutch water policy:
- Obtain and keep a sustainable water system against socially acceptable costs.
- Integrated water management includes:
o Quantity & quality.
o Groundwater & surface water.
They’re related.
o Balancing different interests (ecosystems, agriculture, shipping, industry).
Planning system for water policy:
- Vertical integration: between government layers.
o State, province, water board, municipality.
Steering is top down.
- Horizontal integration: between policy fields.
o Fields: water, spatial planning, environment, nature.
Natural ecosystems depend on good water management.
Flood protection demands spatial planning.
Actual and future drivers and challenges
Drivers:
- Population growth
- Climate change (droughts, floods, waterborne diseases)
- Sustainable development (energy & resource recovery)
Examples
- Water and energy production
o Afsluitdijk
- Energy and resources recovery from municipal wastewater
o Wastes from water used for fertilizer, buildings, etc..
- Future urban water cycle
o Increased recycling
- Innovative coastal defense (building with nature)
o Coastal zone islands as coastal defense
LECTURE 2 – RIVER BASIN & WATER APPROACH
EU water framework directive (WFD)
- EU’s water resources under pressure (extraction, pollution).
o Water needs to be managed.
