An unusual scene in the outskirts of Kruisland. For the first time in years, Brabant Water is looking for a new water catchment area, focusing on the polder in the vicinity of the Engelsweg. According to the drinking water company, there is a need for extra capacity to provide families and companies in West Brabant with sufficient drinking water in the future.
“The demand for drinking water is critical. Especially here in West Brabant, supply and demand have been quite close in recent years. Consumption is increasing due to the increasing number of residents and businesses. Hence the need to expand production,” says production director Jasper Verberk of Brabant Water.
A pump test this autumn should show whether the area is suitable for drinking water extraction. In preparation for this, eleven test measurements will be carried out in a radius of two kilometers at a depth of 250 meters in the coming months. This provides information on, among other things, the composition of the soil, the clay layers and the groundwater quality.
Brabant Water chose the area in Kruisland because it expects the impact on the environment to be ‘minimal’. “We conducted extensive studies beforehand, which showed that the balance between nature and water quality is the most favorable here,” explains Jasper Verberk.
If the measurements are positive, there may be a new extraction location in Kruisland within five years. With an expected annual yield of 3.5 million cubic meters of drinking water, it is a relatively small extraction area. The intention is that the Kruislandse water will be transported via an underground pipeline to the drinking water station in Wouw, where it will be further purified.