Dutch drinking water is among the best in the world. Nonetheless, this sector will also face challenges in the coming years. The sector must find an answer to the problem of ageing underground infrastructure.
We must first remove toxic substances and pathogens – such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and hormones. Ever more stringent (European) water regulation is also at play, which places tight requirements on the taste
and quality of purified water.
Challenges reside in the area of pathogenic micro-organisms and organic micro-contaminations in potable water sources. As fresh groundwater and surface waters become scarcer, the need arises for alternative sources such as brackish groundwater.
There is increased attention on the part of the users for differentiation in quality. After all, it’s crazy to flush our most precious potable water down the toilet, for example. The coming years will focus considerable attention
on saving household hot water – with all of the facilities that this entails.
There are also acute problems abroad, in the areas of both water quality and water quantity.
In the coming years, much research will be done into the production of irrigation water and process water from wastewater. Advanced purification technologies are required to make this possible. Oxidative technologies (UV/H2O2), adsorption techniques (coagulation/flocculation) and membrane technologies
(anaerobic nano-filtration for groundwater) can help with this.
The WAC has the necessary equipment and apparatus for research in-house. The same goes for processed water, wastewater and potable water. In addition, you can call on the WAC for screening and analyses of micro-contaminations. Furthermore, the WAC can assist you with microbiological determinations.