It is not known which company it is. Vitens expects several requests from large corporate customers in the near future. According to the company, when assessing those applications, the location where the applicant is established and the extent of the requested expansion of the water supply will be considered.
rack is out
It is therefore not certain in advance that an application will be refused, but it could just be. “In a general sense, the stretch is out,” said Vitens spokesperson Bram Inklaar.
The supply of drinking water in Overijssel is in ‘great danger’. Vitens’ message to the province, which came out last week, was not a lie. The demand for drinking water is growing, but the (extra) possibilities for extracting larger quantities of water are lagging behind.
In the meantime, more parties are getting involved in the discussion about how to meet the demand for drinking water in Overijssel, even in very dry summers.
surface water
The CDA Overijssel wants to know from the provincial government whether surface water is seen as a serious option for solving the problems.
The provincial CDA is convinced: get drinking water from surface water to prevent damage to nature. In winter this could be an excellent alternative to pumping up groundwater. In the summer, more groundwater remains available. According to the CDA, there is no imminent shortage of drinking water in the summer months.
Pilots
Vitens spokesperson Bram Inklaar: “For the long term, Vitens does not rule out sources in advance. “The possibilities for using surface water are currently being investigated in pilots that Vitens is conducting together with Rijkswaterstaat, the water board and the province.”
But according to Inklaar, the drinking water problem in Overijssel is primarily a problem that now requires a solution. “The urgency is in the short term. Surface water offers no solution for this. That is why at the end of last year we also called on the province to come up with solutions as quickly as possible so that the drinking water supply is not endangered in the short term, especially during dry summers. “
Surface water is not a short-term solution
The CDA meanwhile points to an amendment by that party that was adopted in 2020. It also urged the extraction of drinking water from surface water. Since then CDA Overijssel has seen few developments in this area.
Ask
“Drinking water company Vitens is committed to extracting groundwater unabated, even by urging the province to expand its permits to prevent a shortage of drinking water as soon as next summer,” according to the CDA.
The party wants to know from the provincial government whether there may be companies other than Vitens that can supply drinking water from surface water, for example to companies. The party points to the Enschede company NX Filtration, which specializes in the purification of surface water and groundwater and supplies systems for this purpose worldwide.
Reduce pressure
Vitens spokesperson Inklaar points out that, legally speaking, drinking water may only be supplied by drinking water companies. This means that only the drinking water companies are allowed to supply drinking water for toilets, showers and taps.
“This rule does not apply to industrial water,” explains Inklaar. “Vitens sees this option as one of the options available to reduce the pressure on the drinking water system. Others include water-friendly construction of new homes and reducing use by our (corporate) customers.”
Residential building
Vitens is also concerned about the large number of homes that will have to be built in Overijssel in the coming years to meet the demand. “The housing task in Overijssel is very tough. It is therefore of the utmost importance to pull out all the stops with all parties to be able to continue to serve the residents and businesses in Overijssel.”
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