Freshwater supply: the

subsurface to the rescue

Adaptation Futures, Rotterdam

May 11, 2016

K.G. Zuurbier

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

General problem

• Freshwater shortage

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

General problem

• Mismatch freshwater availability and demand

– Coastal areas worldwide: freshwater shortageand salinization!

• NL: especially irrigation water shortage

• NL: mismatch may increase

• Traditionally: expensive aboveground solutions (storage) or unsustainable solutions (desalination)

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Subsurface has advantages though…

• Large capacity, protection, not claiming aboveground surface area

• For example: groundwater abstractions and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) via wells

• Ecosystem service

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Introduction

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

How can dedicated hydrogeological solutions in the subsurface contribute to future

climate adaptation?

Subsurface Water Solutions (SWS)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Subsurface Water Solutions (SWS)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Dedicated hydrogeological concepts to enlarge, protect, and abstract freshwater in the subsurface

SUBSOL objective: establish a market breakthrough of subsurface water solutions as robust,

effective, sustainable, and cost-efficient answers to the freshwater challenges in coastal areas worldwide.

SUBSOL project

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

SUBSOL objective: establish a market breakthrough of subsurface water solutions as robust,

effective, sustainable, and cost-efficient answers to the freshwater challenges in coastal areas worldwide.

SUBSOL project

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

real-scale demonstration of long term viability

residual risk linked to scaling-up

market replication of near-market water solutions

Social, institutional, economic and governance

aspectsstandardisation and

regulatory issues untapped potential of ICT

market assessment and business plan

WP1

WP2

WP3

WP4

Subsurface Water Solutions (SWS)

• Freshkeeper – Prevent saltwater

intrusion into freshwater wells

• ASR Coastal – Enable

freshwater storage in brackish aquifers

• Freshmaker – Enlarge natural freshwater lenses

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Three examples (reference sites):

Example 1: Freshkeeper (Noardburgum)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Example 1: Freshkeeper (Noardburgum)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

s.w. interface

..and this is what we need for that:

1. Long term testing at the pilot reference site, to gain confidence in concept and technique

2. A regional hydrological study, to predict full scale effects on nearby well fields

3. Support from all stakeholders, including authorities

4. Full scale technological design and business case

Example 1: Freshkeeper (Noardburgum)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Vitens goal is to go full scale in near future…

Example 1: Freshkeeper (Noardburgum)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Example 2: Freshmaker (Ovezande)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Example 2: Freshmaker (Ovezande)

Example 2: Freshmaker (Ovezande)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Pre-treatment / clogging

Maximalstorage

Improve well design + installation

Efficientinterception

Quality recoveredwater

ICT

Example 3: ASR-Coastal (Westland/Nootdorp)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Example 3: ASR-Coastal (Westland/Nootdorp)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Example 3: ASR-Coastal (Westland/Nootdorp)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Combination with RO to recover

100% of the infiltrated water and neutralize concentrate injection

Example 3: ASR-Coastal (Westland/Nootdorp)

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Improved testing / resilience

automated central controlling unit

Freshkeeper

RO

Concentratedisposal

Online operationalDashboard

• Reference sites (WP1)

• Noardburgum (NL)

• Ovezande (NL)

• Nootdorp/Westland (NL)

Replication sites (WP2)

• Falster Island (DK)

• Schinias (GR)

• Dinteloord (NL)

• Venice (US)

SUBSOL project design

Pilots and market scans

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

SUBSOL Market Replications

Objective: demonstrate the robustness of SWS and their

applicability under different environmental and societal

conditions

• different hydrogeological settings• for different end-users• under different policy and regulatory frameworks

This will increase confidence in the SWS, and will provide

important knowledge on its market potentials and

constraints.

Market Replications

T2.1 Falster Island (DK)T2.1 Falster Island (DK)

T2.2 Schinias (GR)T2.2 Schinias (GR)

T2.4 Dinteloord (NL)T2.4 Dinteloord (NL)

T2.3 Venice (FL)T2.3 Venice (FL)

The Island of Falster, Denmark:

Salt water intrusion

Island of

Falster

Salt water intrusion from Baltic Sea

and marine sediments

Denmark

Sweden

Germany Poland

Baltic Sea /

salinity

~ 10 %o

Photo from ferry between Denmark and Germany, August 2006, Foto: Klaus Hinsby

Dinteloord, NL: effluent re-use for irrigation

Nieuw Prinsenland greenhouse area:

• New type of source water for ASR in the Netherlands (recycled waste water effluent)

• Turning temporal waste from the industry (sugar factory)

into an (long-term) available water resource for

horticulture

• New area for ASR in the Netherlands, no systems situated

nearby

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Cycle testing:

- Clay dispersion/ Aquifer clogging?

- Cation exchange

Modelling

- Forecasts- Upscaling

- Costs- Benefits

Urban Waterbuffer

• Prevent pluvial flooding

• Supply freshwater for ponds, irrigation, greywater, drinking water

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Urban Waterbuffer

• Prevent pluvial flooding

• Supply freshwater for ponds, irrigation, greywater, drinking water

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Booth: VPDelta

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

How can dedicated hydrogeological solutions in the subsurface contribute to future

climate adaptation?

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

3. Take reactive transport into account

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

3. Take reactive transport into account

4. Consider horizontal wells

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

3. Take reactive transport into account

4. Consider horizontal wells

5. Benefit from ICT

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

3. Take reactive transport into account

4. Consider horizontal wells

5. Benefit from ICT

6. But be careful while perforating!

Summary

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228

Lessons learned now:

1. Select your site carefully

2. Increase flexibility!

3. Take reactive transport into account

4. Consider horizontal wells

5. Benefit from ICT

6. But be careful while perforating!

To learn:

• Stakeholder participation in SWS

• Market scans

• Regulation

• Life cycle analysis

Freshwater supply: the

subsurface to the rescue

More info:

www.subsol.org

SUBSOL has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 642228