Groundwater protection files
Province of Overijssel
Government
the Netherlands
Spatial development and water management
The challenge
Provinces are responsible for the enduring safeguarding of public drinking water facilities. The EU Water Framework Directive has recently added another objective: the bodies of groundwater must be protected in order to prevent deterioration of groundwater quality. Eventually, the level of purification required for the production of drinking water must be decreased. To achieve these objectives, groundwater protection files are being drawn up under the direction of the provincial authorities. But how to translate the identified risks into policy measures and how to agree with the parties involved on an implementation programme?
Our solution
Our approach logically links process and content. The process is set up on the basis of the idea that the parties involved should reach agreement 'across administrative borders'. Therefore two phases are distinguished. In Phase I data is collected and risks are analyzed. The result of the collection of data consists of groundwater protection files (GPF). GPFs systematically and transparently map the risks affecting the quality of the public groundwater abstraction. This also makes the link to various actors and their roles fully transparent. In Phase II measures are identified to reduce risks and the negotiation is facilitated regarding the implementation and financing of these measures. The result of this negotiation process is an agreement between all parties involved on an implementation plan with measures that need to be taken in order to enduringly safeguard the supply of drinking water.
The outcome
Under the direction of the province of Overijssel, all parties involved signed an administrative agreement on 3 November 2010, concerning an implementation programme for the 9 most vulnerable groundwater abstractions. The measures in the implementation programme will be taken and monitored during the period 2010 – 2015.
Our added value
Our expertise in the underlying knowledge domains enables us to rapidly develop groundwater protection files. This makes the province of Overijssel a forerunner in the Netherlands, thus setting the national standard and approach. The logical linking of process and content has led to a well-founded understanding of the risks affecting groundwater collection and the measures required to enduringly safeguard the groundwater abstractions. The combination of these two elements has made the responsible authorities taking measures to enduringly safeguard drinking water abstractions both as a necessity and as an opportunity for scoring.