Smart Water Management is making better use of the Dutch water system in order to limit the problems caused by water shortages and pluvial flooding.
A water system is a system of canals, streams, waterways, lakes and rivers. Water levels in the Netherlands are controlled using pumps and locks. Rijkswaterstaat and Dutch Water Authorities jointly investigate how the system can be used as effectively as possible, also paying attention to efficient energy consumption.
During wet times it is essential to keep damage to a minimum by effectively controlling the surplus of water. During dry times it is key to distribute the water optimally. Factors playing a role here include agriculture, shipping and drinking water. Water managers who practise Smart Water Management use up-to-date data, knowledge and techniques, reviewing the entire water system and exchanging information in real time. This may prompt changes in the use of the current infrastructure.
Smart water management is practised in six regions across the Netherlands: the IJsselmeer Region, the area around the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, and the North Sea Canal, the Rhine-Meuse estuary and the Southwest Delta, the southern elevated sandy soils (Brabant and Limburg), the Nederrijn/Lek and the Eastern Netherlands’ fresh water.
If you would like to know more about Smart Water Management, please feel free to contact Bas de Jong.