KWR’s Water Systems Research Group offers organisations within and outside of the water sector knowledge and top-quality advice about the sustainable management of groundwater, surface water and nature. To this end, the research group possesses expertise in a wide variety of fields, including geohydrology, ecohy-drology, ecology, environmental chemistry, water policy development and knowledge management. Drinking water companies, waterboards, provinces, ministries, and nature management organisations draw on the knowledge base that KWR has built up, and on the new knowledge developed by the institute, to optimise their management and use of groundwater, surface water, and nature reserves.

Research

The more than 40 staff members in the Water Systems

Research Group conduct their applied scientific research

with the objective of being able to explain and predict

the processes that occur in the soil, in groundwater and

surface water systems. The technical-scientific research

is carried out by three teams: Geohydrology, Ecology, and

Integrated Water Management.

Contact: Michiel Hootsmans, Head, Water Systems Research Group michiel.hootsmans@kwrwater.nl

Sustainable use and management of groundwater, surface water, and nature

Water Systems Research Group

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KWR Watercycle Research

Institute

The 170 employees of KWR Watercycle Research Institute are experts in a wide variety of aspects of the water cycle and the global water system. The experts are organised in teams within three research groups: Water Systems, Water Technology, and Water Quality & Health. Together, they create integrated solutions whenever possible – solutions that transcend their individual fields of exper-tise. KWR is committed to an optimal harmonisation between the different water use activities and the surrounding water systems, and between the stake-holder organisations themselves. Only in this way can one create optimal, effec-tive and efficient social innovations that contribute to a sustainable water cycle.

The end-user is the client

The Water Systems Research Group undertakes assignments for a variety of end-users, like drinking water companies, waterboards, nature and land managers like Staatsbosbeheer (forestry commis-sion), Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA), provinces, and the ministries of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

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Integrated Water Management Team

The Integrated Water Management Team focuses on the

integration of water quantity and quality, of groundwater

and surface water, and of policy and research. For this,

the team’s members possess wide-ranging knowledge

and skills in the areas of chemical quality of groundwater

and surface water, bathing water quality, aquatic ecology,

the impact of aquifer thermal energy storage, and

geographic infor mation systems (GIS). The staff carry out

research into quality developments in groundwater and

surface water, and the effects of climate change on water

systems and their possible uses by humans. Here are

a few examples of the Integrated Water Management-

Team’s projects:

Climate change threatens water quality and drinking water

The Integrated Water Management Team has for a number

of years researched the effects of climate change on the

water quality of the large rivers in the Netherlands and of the

Lake IJssel. During dry and hot summers, such as those of 2003

and 2006, the water quality decreased significantly because

of low discharges and algae grew more prolifically. This has a

strong impact on life forms in the water and on the production

of drinking water. Rise in sea levels and low river discharges

lead to increased salinisation in the Rhine and Meuse deltas.

In the context of the Dutch Knowledge for Climate research

programme, the Integrated Water Management Team

collaborates with researchers within and outside of KWR

analysing, and seeking solutions for climate change issues.

Bathing water quality

Climate change will increase the need for bathing and

recreational water in the vicinity of residential areas.

Bathing in surface water however may present health risks,

in case pathogens and toxic organisms are present, such as

bluegreen algae. The Integrated Water Management Team

exposes the nature of these risks and formulates targeted

measures to make and keep bathing and recreational water safe.

The team carries out assignments for various water managers,

and maintains an intensive scientific and water management

network in order to remain up to date on the latest

developments.

Aquifer thermal energy storage and groundwater quality

Aquifer thermal energy storage is a popular source of sustainable

energy for built environments. KWR researches the effect of

aquifer thermal energy storage on the quality of the ground-

water. The Integrated Water Management Team advises

ministries, the Infrastructure for Quality Assurance of Soil

Foundation (SIKB), provinces and water companies regarding

the sustainable application of aquifer thermal energy storage

and the related developments in policy.

Geo-information applications in water management

Water management revolves around spatial processes.

The Water Systems Research Group employs geographic

information systems (GIS) and geo-information in order

to research spatial processes and to make them apparent.

In this way one acquires, for example, a clear picture of the

interaction between nature and the surroundings in the

extraction of groundwater.

Contact: Gertjan Zwolsman Team Leader, Integrated Water Management gertjan.zwolsman@kwrwater.nl

KWR’s Water Systems Research Group

takes on challenges

The water cycle all over the world presents humans with huge challenges. Pollution is threatening the health of people and the environment, the availability of sufficient supply is tightening, and growing urbanisation and climate change are confronting water management and water provision with new demands. KWR’s Water Systems Research Group contributes to the development of the knowledge and the means to meet these challenges effectively.

Water Systems Research Group

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Geohydrology Team

The Geohydrology Team deploys knowledge about the

underground and groundwater in order to provide direc-

tion to the increasing use of the underground for a wide

variety of functions. The staff members are specialists

in the areas of geohydrology and groundwater level

dynamics, geohydrochemistry and groundwater quality,

time- series analysis and risk analysis of human interven-

tions on water quality. Here are a few examples of the

Geohydrology Team’s projects:

Greater possibilities with Horizontal Directional Drilled Wells

Horizontal Directional Drilled Wells (HDDWs) can offer great

advantages in drinking water collection, aquifer thermal energy

storage, soil remediation, (dike) stabilisation, rain-water

infiltration and groundwater management. The realisation

of an HDDW involves introducing a filter pipe into an aquifer

through horizontal drilling. The Geohydrology Team is closely

involved in the application of HDDW for the provision of drinking

water, and is active in a consortium that is studying possible

HDDW uses. See also www.hddw.nl.

Improved management of drinking water wells

KWR has a lengthy record of service in the technological

development of better drinking water wells and well systems,

from design to realisation, to operation and environmental

impact. Properly designed well management ensures the optimal

use of wells and sustainable water collection. The Geohydrology

Team designs well linkage systems, which can prevent

mechanical well clogging caused by particles. It furtherly

works on preventing chemical clogging, which occurs due

to the formation of iron deposition. The team is also involved

in optimising the regeneration of wells to increase the life-span

and water yield.

Groundwater level analysis assists tackling water policy issues

More information can be derived from current data about

the groundwater system than generally occurs in practice.

The Geohydrology Team makes use of these data in order to

gain a precise picture of the developments in groundwater levels

within specific areas. To this end, team members conduct areal

time series using the KWR-developed programme Menyanthes.

Using this software package, it becomes clear, for instance,

how rainfall excess, groundwater extraction, surface-water and

polder levels, together with human interventions can result in

too wet or too dry soil conditions. This can then provide the

foundation for remedial measures.

Analysing and forecasting soil and groundwater quality

KWR develops models for the analysis and forecast of soil and

groundwater quality. The Geohydrology Team uses these for risk

analyses concerning the quality of groundwater that is intended

for drinking water use. They are also employed for quantitative

research into factors and processes that determine what

quantities of substances dilute in groundwater, for predictions

of the build-up of shallow soil moisture or groundwater, and for

estimations of decalcification and acidification of calcareous

dune sand.

Contact: Jan Willem Kooiman Team Leader, Geohydrology jan.willem.kooiman@kwrwater.nl

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Ecology Team

The Ecology Team applies ecohydrological knowledge

to improve water and nature management: from

operational processes to social and administrative

processes. The team’s work for the water sector, national

and regional governments, and nature protection organi-

sations frequently focuses on the relation between the

quality of the natural environment and habitat condi-

tions, that is, the relevant physical and chemical circum-

stances at habitat sites. Knowledge about this provides

an important basis for sustainable water management.

The team’s staff members are specialists in ecohydrology,

soil science, chemistry, vegetation science, and plant

physiology. They apply their skills to the development

of knowledge and practical instruments, for example,

in the following projects:

Ecohydrological system analyses

Using ecological landscape system analysis, the Ecology Team

researches the key processes that, at the level of the landscape,

determine how large the biodiversity is, and what habitat

conditions exist for plant species and plant communities.

The team members convert this knowledge into operational

instruments, which allow the effects of water management,

climate change, and management measures to be expressed

in terms of changes in the vegetation.

Determining the effectiveness of ecosystem restoration

measures

The Ecology Team makes use of empirical research and

simulation models to determine the degree to which

groundwater-dependent ecosystems can be restored,

and how effective the applied restoration techniques are.

The team members, among other things, study the National

Ecological Network (EHS), an interconnected network of

important existing, and still-to-be-developed, nature reserves

in the Netherlands, and the so-called Natura 2000 areas, a

Europe-wide network of protected nature reserves. The members

also study the restoration of peat formation in a variety of types

of locations in the Netherlands.

Climate-proof knowledge about the relations between habitat

and vegetation

In its applied research into sustainable water, the Ecology Team

concentrates on the further development of knowledge about

the relationship between vegetation and habitat conditions,

and the requirements that the types of vegetation have

regarding their habitat. The staff investigate the processes

that determine the habitat conditions and the vegetation

composition, as well as the influence of the vegetation on the

water cycle and on the processes in the water system. The team

members convert this knowledge of processes into computer

models, which can, accurately and robustly, incorporate the

impact of climate change on vegetation and vice versa.

Integrating knowledge in models, knowledge systems, and

operational instruments

The Ecology Team integrates its knowledge about processes

in the soil-plant systems, and about interactions between

vegetation, soil and water, into models and knowledge systems.

In this way, its members develop operational instruments which

are widely used in water and nature management. A great deal

of attention is paid to uncertainties and to the way in which

error propagation affects modelling results.

Contact: Gé van den Eertwegh Team Leader, Ecology ge.van.den.eertwegh@kwrwater.nl

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Healthy water focuses on the relationship between human

health and the water quality in (drinking) water sources, in

treatment processes, in the distribution network, at the

customer’s tap, or in natural bathing water.

Four core themes govern KWR’s research: Healthy, Sustainable, Advanced, and Efficient water. KWR’s Water Systems Research Group plays an important role within the Sustainable water theme through its research into the possible consequences of climate change, increasing energy use and urbanisation. The group wants to contribute in this way to nature restoration and manage-ment, sustainable water resources and a climate-proof water sector. Within the Healthy water theme, the group is active in research into bathing water quality and the quality of the surface water as a source for drinking water. As far as the Advanced water theme is concerned, it explores trends and geo-information applications; and within the Efficient water theme, it researches aquifer thermal energy storage and knowledge productivity.

Knowledge networks

KWR’s Water Systems Research Group collaborates

intensively with Dutch research institutes like Deltares,

Alterra and TNO, and with universities such as the VU

Amsterdam, Wageningen University and Delft University

of Technology, through part-time professorships, among

other ways. In addition, the group works with land

managers, such as Staatsbosbeheer (national forestry

commission) and Natuurmonumenten (nature conserva-

tion authority). In this way KWR also acquires practical

knowledge. A number of PhD students also work in this

research group. In this way KWR establishes a bridge

between science and water and nature managers.

Whenever possible, the research is embedded in, and

co-financed by, national knowledge development

programmes – such as Knowledge for Climate and the

Water Technology Innovation Programme – as well as

EU knowledge programmes.

Sustainable water concentrates on the sustainable management

of water systems and nature, paying particular attention to the

different functions and to the development of production,

distribution and treatment methods that use raw materials

and energy efficiently.

Healthy, Sustainable, Advanced,

and Efficient water

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Working together in the water cycle

KWR is dedicated to strengthen the harmonisation and

collaboration between the different organisations in the

water cycle. The intensive joint use of the water cycle

and of the environment we live in often raises conflicting

demands among the organisations involved. When

necessary, staff of the Water Systems Research Group

assist in bridge building, always on the basis of their

concrete knowledge and recognising everyone’s

legitimate concerns and interests. Apart from their

own knowledge, they also contribute that of other KWR

research groups – all with a view to arriving at integrated

solutions for technical, social, and administrative issues.

Optimal use of knowledge

The Knowledge & Programme Management Team

provides programme management for a variety of collec-

tive research programmes within KWR, and offers the

watersector knowledge management advice, ranging

from the formulation of visions and research questions,

to the optimisation of knowledge development and

application, and the anchoring of the acquired

knowledge. The team also examines relevant social

developments and their consequences for the water

sector, conducts horizon scanning, and develops exper-

tise on knowledge implementation and science system

assessment. These activities contribute to the optimal

employment of knowledge, people and resources in

and around the water sector.

Contact Jos Frijns Team Leader, Knowledge and Programme Management: jos.frijns@kwrwater.nl

Advanced water focuses on promising technological

developments, with a view to making them usable for the

water sector.

Efficient water is concerned with the efficient design of

the water cycle, water and energy, and the effectiveness

of knowledge productivity.

Contact Would you like to learn more about KWR Watercycle Research Institute? Then contact us:

Postal address KWR Watercycle Research Institute PO Box 1072 3430 BB Nieuwegein The Netherlands

T +31 (0)30 60 69 511 F +31 (0)30 60 61 165 E info@kwrwater.nl I www.kwrwater.nl

Chamber of Commerce 27279653

Innovation in the water cycle

Water is essential for all life on earth. Too much water, or too little water of suitable quality, can have a drastic impact on people and the environment they live in. Top-quality, tailored knowledge is needed to optimally design and manage the water cycle, and thus

to provide two of people’s basic needs: healthy and safe drinking water, and a pollution-free environment.

KWR Watercycle Research Institute assists society in reaching these goals by integrating targeted research with available knowledge. KWR brings public and business organisations together so as to jointly elaborate effective, practically applicable solutions to water questions, with a focus on Healthy, Sustainable, Advanced, and Efficient Water for everybody.

KWR Watercycle Research Institute• creates knowledge through first-rate research;• builds bridges between science, business and society;• promotes social innovation by applying the best

knowledge available.