Drinking water company PWNThe test setup at the pumping station in Hoorn
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NH News
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:22
In the municipality of Hoorn, drinking water company PWN has succeeded in retaining and recovering one billion liters of drinking water in an underground reservoir. With the water storage, the company is investigating whether sufficient drinking water will remain available in the future during droughts.
Since 2020, the drinking water company has been building a water storage deep underground in Hoorn. According to PWN, this is necessary because the drinking water supply in North Holland is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to dry summers, salinisation, housing and population growth.
Drinking water from the IJsselmeer
The eastern half of North Holland above the North Sea Canal will receive drinking water produced in Andijk, writes NH News. There, the water from the IJsselmeer is immediately purified into drinking water, which is then transported to the pumping station in Hoorn via a large transport pipeline. From there it continues into the province.
If that pipeline fails for whatever reason, there is another pipeline next to it that can take over the transport. “But it does have a more limited capacity, especially at peak times,” says Lucas Borst, hydrologist at PWN, against NH News. Laying an extra pipeline can be a solution, but alternatives are also being considered.
In recent years, the drinking water company has carried out tests on a test set-up with an extraction well. The test setup in Hoorn is located close to the pumping station, which limits the need for additional infrastructure, says Borst.
Stock for 21 days
The preliminary results indicate that there is space between the clay layers and the sand grains for a billion liters of drinking water, a supply enough for 21 days. Borst is enthusiastic about the results. “The results are favorable and it is technically feasible, without any inconvenience to the environment.” According to the hydrologist, there is no subsidence and vibration when pumping up, a fear that reigns among some. “Nobody wants to be harmed,” he says.
In addition, the stored water remains drinkable. “The quality of the water remains good in the soil,” says Borst. “Because it is in the soil, under thick layers of clay, no contamination or pollution from outside can occur.”
Drought
According to Borst, water storage can also be used flexibly. “If the system is built anyway, we can also use it on days with a high demand for drinking water. This way we are more resistant to drought and we can also carry out better maintenance on our installations.”
The drinking water company will make a decision in the autumn. If the test set-up is successful, the system will be expanded with ten extraction wells. PWN hopes to be fully operational around 2027 or 2028, if all goes well.
2023-08-27 10:22:50
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