Title
REFLECT, a decision support system for harmonizing spatial development with groundwater resources
Author
van den Brink, C.
Zaadnoordijk, W.J.
Groenhof, B.
Bulterman, R.
Steinweg, C.
Publication year
2017
Abstract
A sustainable drinking-water supply requires durable securing of the resource. With an increase in spatial pressure, the need is increasing to prioritize measures based on the vulnerability of the resources and the impact of surrounding land use functions. This is especially challenging in the Province of Overijssel with groundwater abstraction sites in vulnerable Pleistocene sandy soils and increasing spatial pressure from both agricultural and urban areas. The governance of the groundwater abstractions in the Province of Overijssel is based on a combination of precaution and a risk-based approach. The Province has adopted REFLECT to assess the risks of spatial developments. REFLECT is a negotiation support system that gives an overview of the vulnerability of the groundwater abstractions and risks of several land use functions on the groundwater quality. REFLECT has been used to obtain the current risk scores of all drinking water abstractions in the Province and following the EU Water Framework Directive. Spatial insight of risks was used to identify and target measures reducing these risks. Moreover, REFLECT has been applied to decide on a local spatial development near an abstraction. Knowledge of the impact of land use changes on groundwater quality helped the municipality harmonizing the spatial plan with the interest of the drinking water abstraction and creating a step-forward in the protection level of the abstraction site. These applications illustrate that REFLECT is an instrument that fits well within riskbased groundwater governance which aims at safeguarding of the public water supply by harmonizing land use functions
Subject
2015 Geo
GM - Geomodelling
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Geological Survey Netherlands
Geosciences
2015 Energy
Groundwater resources
Land use
Decision support system
Governance
Stakeholders
Vulnerability
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cac70678-d103-47af-8822-8bce4a0ac575
TNO identifier
745527
Source
Water Resources Management, 1-13
Document type
article