Battle for water connection erupts: whose groundwater?

There is a lot of pressure on water connections in renovation and new construction projects. So says Johan Bel, director of 'My Water Factory' in the latest episode of the podcast Bureau Stoer. "The first lawsuits are a fact."

RIVM, as well as the association of water companies in the Netherlands, have been warning about problems with drinking water for some time. Demand for water is rising, but wells are being depleted due to lower groundwater levels, among other things. New building developments therefore run the risk of not being connected to the drinking water network.

"This is already happening," says Johan Bel, in the latest episode of Bureau Stoer. "Dozens of companies that want to invest in new construction or remodeling are already getting zero response."

According to him, there is also already a battle going on between different parties who need water. "The first lawsuit against a drinking water company has already been filed by a party from the agricultural sector," Bel said.

Details of the lawsuit he does not have: "But it does indicate that there is a battle between functions going on. And it raises the legal question: who has a right to the groundwater?"

A drop in the ocean

Bel is chairman of the Circular Water expert group and director of My Water Factory, a company that has specialized in systems for collecting and processing rainwater and gray water (wastewater bathroom) since 2014. In Flanders, such systems have been mandatory for 20 years; in the Netherlands, interest in them is growing steadily.

"Last year we installed just under 1,000 systems (market share, 30 percent, ed) in the Netherlands. For us that is fine, but if you look at the total construction volume, it is indeed a drop in the bucket."

Marike Bonhof, director at housing corporation Ymere and former top woman at Vitens, also recently sounded the alarm. She believes it is time for "sacrifices from society to prevent future disasters."

Fear of misconnections

Bel thinks the solution can largely be found in built environments. According to him, rainwater and gray wastewater can meet almost half of the need.

"Showering with rainwater is fine. Rainwater is wonderfully soft." Incidentally, there are already municipalities trying to enforce smarter water use through tenders or regulations, such as the municipality of Harderwijk. Bel: "A kind of menu has also been developed. That helps builders and installers make choices to build water-efficiently."

The government has often been advised to include a national standard for the reuse of water in the Building Works Decree for the Living Environment. It has not yet come to that. "This is due to ignorance," Bel believes. Fear among water companies that the quality of drinking water would be put at risk also plays a role, he says.

"The fear is not justified, but understandable. We have developed a fantastic drinking water system together in the Netherlands over the past 100 years. Perhaps it is the best in the world. So I do understand that this is looked at critically and you don't want any wan connections that can pollute the drinking water network. But things like that, you can tackle technically very well."

Curious about the whole story of Johan Bel, director of My Water Factory? And how you as installer, builder or developer can deal smartly with rainwater and gray wastewater? Then listen now to Bureau Stoer.

Title: Bureau Stoer 14 | Johan Bel's water factory

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Water at VSK+E

The theme of water is also discussed during the trade fair VSK+E. That fair takes place in the Jaarbeurs from Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 February. Are you coming? Register here.