Drinking Water Conservation Meeting: Water-Efficient Neighbourhoods

The availability of drinking water is coming under increasing pressure due to climate change, population growth and economic development. Yet water-efficient construction is not yet standard practice in new buildings in the Netherlands. To change this, 45 public and private partners are working together within the Water-Efficient Neighbourhoods Construction Table, including municipalities, provinces, housing associations, developers and drinking water companies such as Vitens. Their common goal is to apply water-efficient construction on a large scale and make it the national standard.

On 22 January, the 8th live meeting of the Water-Efficient Neighbourhoods Construction Round Table took place. This meeting focused on achieving structural drinking water savings in both new and existing neighbourhoods. Techniques such as rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse and water-saving sanitary facilities save drinking water, relieve pressure on the drinking water network and promote sustainable construction.

An important part of the programme was the Water-Efficient Living Guideline. We discussed the quantitative targets, the qualitative framework and the ambitions for the next step. This guideline provides clarity about which measures are possible and desirable in new construction and renovation, and helps to make water-efficient construction the new norm.

In addition, there was a lot of attention for political and administrative lobbying. During the Construction Table, work is being done on a manifesto that includes the most important bottlenecks and solutions for accelerating drinking water conservation. The key points of this manifesto are:

• National Action Plan for Drinking Water Conservation
  Clear choices and concrete measures to achieve drinking water savings by 2035, with coherence between the national government, provinces, municipalities and drinking water companies.
• National Water-Efficient Living Guideline
  One clear, applicable guideline for new construction and renovation, with attention to rainwater use, grey water and water-saving sanitary facilities.
• Anchoring in legislation and regulations
  Inclusion of drinking water conservation in the Building Environment Decree (Bbl), the Drinking Water Decree and the Drinking Water Act, with clear quality requirements and preconditions.
• National guidelines for responsible infiltration and replenishment
  Clear frameworks for retaining, infiltrating and reusing rainwater, based on the STOWA framework, to combat drought and safeguard water quality.
  
  Finally, the Klumpershoek case study from the Municipality of Wierden provided an inspiring practical example of how water-efficient measures are already being successfully implemented.

We can look back on a substantive and well-attended meeting. Thank you to all participants for their valuable contributions. Together, we will continue to work towards water-efficient, future-proof neighbourhoods in the Netherlands.