Brabant is heading for a drinking water crisis if no action is taken. In West Brabant it has been code red for almost a year because the drinking water reserves there are running low. Brabant Water can no longer guarantee that enough water comes from the tap everywhere, for example if it is very dry. And the rest of the province is also heading for that situation. The province and water company Brabant Water are looking for solutions.
In July last year, research by the Southern Court of Audit showed that in 2027 there will only be sufficient drinking water in the east of Brabant. In the center and west of the province, new homes and businesses may not be able to be connected to the drinking water network by then. The plans to prevent this are contained in a report from the province and Brabant Water that will be discussed by the Provincial Council on Friday.
The report once again makes it clear how dire the situation is. Brabant Water currently supplies approximately 190 million cubic meters of drinking water from groundwater throughout the province every year. Sources from which Brabant Water obtains groundwater can hardly cope with the demand. The growth of the population and the economy will only increase this demand in the coming years.
The company cannot guarantee that enough drinking water will be available in the west of the province during a dry summer or unexpected circumstances. In the rest of the province we are also heading for such a situation after 2030.
READ ALSO: Code red in West Brabant: the drinking water reserves have run out
More groundwater
New drinking water sources are therefore desperately needed. Work is currently underway on a new location near Roosendaal where groundwater can be pumped. The intention is that 3.5 million cubic meters of water per year will come from there from 2028, but there are still uncertainties. For example, the ‘complex environmental process’ can delay the permit process, according to the report.
The province and Brabant Water also hope to be able to make full use of the water extraction location in Tilburg again. Previously, Brabant Water had to pump 3.3 million cubic meters less from the judge to prevent the dehydration of nearby nature reserves.
An interim ruling by the judge reversed that ban. But until the judge makes a final ruling this year, it cannot be said with certainty whether Brabant Water will be allowed to pump the full 18 million cubic meters per year again.
Other solutions
In addition to new groundwater, other solutions are also being sought. For example, a pilot will run until 2026 in which drinking water is made from salty groundwater. This method should produce an additional 5 million cubic meters of drinking water per year in the future.
In addition, it is hoped to also make seawater from the Oosterschelde drinkable (which should amount to an additional 10 million cubic meters per year), but if everything goes according to plan, this will only be possible from 2032.
READ ALSO: This installation must turn salt water into drinking water: ‘Historic’
In the meantime, the solution is being sought in other measures. For example, water must be saved, groundwater areas must be better protected and permits for water extraction must be issued more quickly.
The groundwater tax, which major users have to pay, can also be increased. In September last year it was announced that the province wants to expand the tax on groundwater wells, so that more companies will have to pay from 2026.
READ ALSO: Province wants to tax more wells, but spares small users
The quality of the groundwater must also improve. Because not only the increase in use, but also the deterioration of water quality poses a risk. Groundwater quality is threatened by pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residues and substances of very high concern such as PFAS.
All these solutions are crucial to prevent an even greater drinking water shortage, the report states: “Doing nothing is therefore not an option: it is necessary that all parties involved act immediately and effectively. Only by taking the necessary measures will we ensure that every resident of Brabant has access to clean and safe drinking water.”
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