Water management in Oosterhout Municipality has become innovative through their use of Divers water monitoring devices from Van Essen Instruments. The devices store water level data without needing immediate reading, allowing the municipality to build an extensive groundwater monitoring network. This network provides benefits like preventing mistakes and yielding useful information over time. Officials see the network as preparing them to meet future responsibilities for groundwater management.

1. News
Water management is receiving
more and more attention
Oosterhout Municipality can be described as an innovative community when it
comes to water management. This is gradually coming to the attention of water
management boards, consultants and other municipalities who are starting to
turn to Oosterhout Municipality for information.
Ad van Goch, Senior Policy Adviser for Applications
Water and Sewage of the Engineering Van Goch: “Another important area in
Office of the Municipal Enterprises which we apply the data obtained by means
Department of Oosterhout Municipality, of Divers is the development of the so-called
explains: “It is important for a whole range infiltration possibilities chart which in turn generate adequate financial resources to be
of projects to bring information about water has its application in the formulation of the able to fulfil its duty of care. The
to the surface. While we have obviously Municipal Water Plan. This infiltration recommendations from this report represent
always had information about water, the possibilities chart allows a realistic a significant step towards a water, building
way in which the information was obtained assessment to be made about the and habitation environment where
and recorded tended to be rather more possibilities of infiltration or diversion at groundwater problems are a thing of the
complicated than it is today. various locations.” past. The National Administration
Agreement concerning Water requires that
Limited budget Infiltration and diversion by 2005 an official set of rules must have
A workshop back in 2001 led to an Rain water in urban areas is discharged via been drawn up in accordance with their
improved groundwater measurement the sewage and storm water system to a dictates that will spell out a particular
network. The workshop was attended by all sewage purification plant or a surface water approach to urban groundwater problems.
the interested parties within the retention pond. This rainwater, however, can In addition the Union of Water Boards and
municipality. It led to a package of lead to problems within the water manage- the Associated Netherlands Municipalities
requirements being drawn up in which ment system of a municipality. Infiltration are to include groundwater problems when
Divers® from Van Essen Instruments in can prevent these problems. Current drawing up a format for municipal water
monitoring wells played a significant role. practice throughout the Netherlands is to plans. On the final RIONED (Netherlands
divert rain fall water away from the sewers Sewerage Association) day, Prince Willem
Test making it easier for water purification Alexander repeated once more that the
Initially the municipality purchased about 15 systems to cope during periods of rain. municipality must look after the disposal of
Divers by way of conducting a test and Infiltration of rain water often provides a superfluous groundwater. The Crown Prince
these were placed in level monitoring wells. cost effective solution that can help to make is worried about the rising groundwater
The Divers passed the test with flying expansion or renovation of the conventional levels that are causing problems in quite a
colours and these days the municipality has sewer system unnecessary. number of cities. “Home owners themselves
some 100 Divers. Over the space of a few must take care of the adequate discharge of
years the Oosterhout municipality has come Prepared for the future water from their properties”, he said in his
to own a fairly extensive groundwater Ad van Goch remarks in conclusion: “We speech during the RIONED day. But at the
measuring network that is already starting view our work with the Divers as a useful same time he feels that municipalities must
to yield evident benefits. step towards the future. During his speech continue on from there. “This could be
at the annual congress of the Association of done by introducing a duty of care whereby
Advantages Netherlands Municipalities in 2002 His Royal municipalities collect and dispose of
An important advantage of this method, Highness, the Prince of Orange, in his superfluous groundwater.” It is a discussion
according to Mr. Van Goch, is that the capacity as chairman of the Integrated that has by no means been brought to a
Divers retain the data and keep them stored Water Management Committee (CIW), conclusion yet but we do not discount the
so that the measurements do not have to announced that the CIW would be drawing possibility that before long it will be a
be read at always the same time. His up a recommendation about urban compulsory matter to have a clear overview
colleague Mr. Besems, who has been groundwater. The document contains of the relevant details, because every
involved with sewage management since recommendations directed at all the parties municipality will by then no doubt have a
1980 and in recent years has also become concerned. Two particular recommendations certain degree of responsibility for
involved in groundwater at Oosterhout deserve special attention, namely: to be able groundwater in its region. The Municipality
Municipality, adds: “A great advantage with to deal with urban groundwater in a of Oosterhout is already prepared to meet
the Divers is that it is impossible to make dynamic way the CIW recommends that a that responsibility!”
mistakes whereas that risk was always municipal duty of care be incorporated in
present in the manual recording practices of the relevant legislation and that it should be
the past.” arranged that the municipality is able to
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