Freshwater resources in coastal areas of the Netherlands are limited, resulting in problems like seasonal water shortage, overexploitation of freshwater aquifers, and seawater intrusion.
This video shows how in the largest greenhouse area of the Netherlands, Greenport Westland-Oostland, freshwater losses in greenhouses are reduced by storing rainwater underground.
The greenhouse horticulture sector in this area uses rainwater as its main source of water. The water is stored in above-ground storage reservoirs for use as irrigation water in the greenhouses. One problem is that, in the summer, there is more demand for water than rainwater can supply. The greenhouse horticulturalists therefore use brackish/saline groundwater, which they first have to desalinate.
In order to increase the availability of fresh water and combat pluvial flooding at the same time, KWR is researching the possibility of temporarily storing the autumn and winter excess rainfall underground.
Prominent, the tomato growers association in ‘s-Gravenzande, recently started operating an installation for the aquifer storage and recovery of fresh water in a saline aquifer. The installation is part of a KWR pilot being carried out within the Knowledge for Climate research programme. The pilot is promoted by the Waterbuffer Foundation.
More info: http://www.waterbuffer.net;
http://www.kwrwater.nl/page.aspx?id=7910;
http://knowledgeforclimate.climateresearchnetherlands.nl/hotspots/haaglanden-regio/HSHL08
Produced by: TheWaterChannel
Language: English
Year: 2014
Region: The Netherlands, Europe
