The Quality of sources of drinking water in The Netherlands

In its most recent inspection report, the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate [Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT)] argues that the quality of drinking water meets the quality standards in 99.9% of the samples, but that the development of the quality of the sources of drinking water is a reason for concern (ILT, 2018). However, these concerns are hard to specify and prioritise, as most summary reports are prepared on a themed level so that the information that is available about the quality of the sources is highly fragmented. The lack of a summary overview of the information available about the quality of sources of drinking water also makes it difficult to gain insight into the urgency and effectiveness of various policy and management options. In order
to be able to properly look after the drinking water interests in water quality management and policy, Vewin asked KWR to gather information about the quality of sources of drinking water.
The purpose of this report is to bring together the most important information about the quality of sources of drinking water and to present it coherently. It discusses existing bottlenecks, as well as projected developments. As such, the report offers an extensive picture of the facts of the current condition of the sources of drinking water in terms of water quality. This summary enables the drinking water sector to address and prioritise bottlenecks in water quality issues. It can also serve as a basis for drafting the agenda and be used for looking after the drinking water interests in the water quality policy for the next few years.
The scope of this report concerns an overview of the current condition of sources of drinking water in terms of water quality, including the present risks of contamination of the water sources (environment). However, the condition of the sources is also determined by the availability of sufficient freshwater (quantity) and the possibility to protect water resources. These aspects are not dealt with in this report. This report provides a general picture of the chemical condition of the sources of drinking water and it was composed on the basis of factual information from public reports. Therefore, new insights have emerged only by presenting available information in coherence. This report is not based on any new research.
It runs parallel to the final assessment of the second generation of drinking water protection files by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The report of this final assessment is expected at the end of 2019.