Interview R.P. Bartholomeus - Purified residual water for agriculture

“Irrigation helps combat drought in agriculture. Instead of scarce groundwater, an alternative water source can be used: the purified effluent from water treatment plants. However, this water still contains contaminants. This project investigated two aspects of reuse via ‘reverse drainage’: the dispersal of contamination in the soil and subsoil, and the purifying effect of the soil.
Much of the Netherlands’ agricultural land is drained via a system of underground pipes’, says Ruud Bartholomeus, hydrologist at the water research institute KWR and affiliated with Wageningen University. ‘These can also serve a reverse purpose: subsurface irrigation. This kind of irrigation prevents evaporation loss and puts scarce water resources to more efficient use.’”

(Citation: Beintema, N. – Interview R.P. Bartholomeus – Purified residual water for agriculture – www.nwo.nl (2023)22 maart)