Are our groundwatersources used in the foodindustry and beverageindustry sufficiently protected?

1. ARE OUR (GROUND)
WATERSOURCES, USED IN THE
FOOD- AND BEVERAGE
INDUSTRY, SUFFICIENTLY
PROTECTED?
Aquaconsoil, May 21 2019, Han Teunissen,
Arcadis

2. © Arcadis 2019
(geo)hydrology and water resources management (Delft
Univ. Of Technology, 1984)
Advisor for many industrial clients:
Theme’s: Industrial watersupply, (ground)water quality and
quantity, strategic advice, permits, soil- and groundwater
pollution and -remediation, natural mineralwater
Introducing: Han Teunissen

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Project 2017/2018: 21 food industries in the province of
Gelderland: Factsheets groundwater, originating from
the European Water Framework Directive (KRW)

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Initiative from the province using European Water Framework Directive
(KRW)
They consist of:
1. Description of water supply, groundwater sources/bored wells, filterdepths,
watertreatment
2. Determining recharge area and 25-years zone
3. Understanding of land use and vulnerability of (sub)soil
4. Desk and archive research of historical soil- and groundwater pollution
5. Quality of pumped water
6. Risk assessment
7. Conclusions and recommendations towards taking action and/or monitoring
Factsheets:

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Examples of 10- and 25-year zones

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Look at it from the perspective of these industries. They
need excellent and unlimited groundwater resources for
their industrial production.
I repeat the question: “Are our (ground)
watersources, used in the food- and
beverage industry, sufficiently
protected?”

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But………
I will explain and nuance this answer in the coming slides
The answer to this question is: NO !

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1. Location and depth of recovery filters are often not chosen for
groundwater protection, but are mainly determined by other business needs
(i.e. transportation, client needs, real estate, human and material resources)
2. The industrial groundwater users do not have a big understanding about
the quality of their pumped groundwater (source: factsheets Gelderland)
3. Often, they have too little knowledge about the threats and risks of their
groundwater quality (source: factsheets province Gelderland)
4. There are no protection areas for industrial groundwater sources, in
contrast to the municipal water supply
5. But…. Several measures and legislation have made a contribution to the
reduction of risks
Why not, or perhaps insufficiently ?

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1. Soil remediaton, since mid 80’s: intensive clean-up operations, pollution
control and risk-control
2. Dutch Directive Soil Protection (Richtlijn bodembescherming): prevention
3. Soil Protection Act (Wet bodembescherming), duty of care, responsibility
for (new) soil pollution
4. International Directives, like Reach (allowing/permitting of chemicals) and
the European Groundwater framework (protecting groundwater sources for
human consumption)
5. Reduction and ban on the use of (toxic) plant and crop pesticides
For example:

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1. New threats, like emerging chemicals (pfas, GenX), and medicine residues
2. New uses for subsoil and groundwater, like geothermal energy and
geothermal storage in groundwater
3. Water scarcity and droughts, declining fresh water reserves, more often and
longer periodes of droughts and dry periods (like in 2018)
Some new threats to groundwater
contamination:

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1. In fact strong comparison with industrial groundwatersources
2. 50% of groundwatersources for municipal watersupply in the Netherlands
suffer from contamination with one or more existing or new contaminants
3. For municipal watersupply Protection zones exist since long time
4. But nevertheless contamination of sources with e.g. nitrate, plant protection
products, historical groundwater pollution or emerging substances
5. More intensive and increasing watertreatment needed for good drinking
water quality
Municipal drinkingwatersupply from
groundwatersources:

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drinking water

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1. Structural monitoring of pumped groundwater, intensive laboratory screening,
also for emerging chemicals, medicine residues, etc.: monitoring plan
2. Calculate the recharge area or the 25-years zone
3. Monitor threats and risks within the recharge area or 25-years zone
4. Early warning: monitor groundwater upstream, at different depths
5. Agreements with neighbours and surrounding areas (responsibility and
liability?)
6. Knowledge of developments in the neighbourhood: www.overheid.nl
7. Relocate the existing watersources to greater depth, underneath protected
clay layers, if technically and legally applicable
8. Extra or more intensive water treatment (end of pipe)
What can (food) industries do?

14. Ambition for the future:
we have to move forward to a circular economy
with no more persisting waste, but only
biodegradable substances

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Arcadis.
Improving quality of life.