My overview
A new major research project will examine what it will take to avoid the looming water shortage on Zealand.
The Capital Region could already be short of 12 million cubic metres of water by 2040—equivalent to Odense’s entire annual consumption. But what does the overall picture look like for Zealand? And what options are there to avert the crisis?
The research project will find out by bringing together a number of Denmark’s leading water experts from GEUS, the University of Copenhagen, DTU, the consultancy DHI and the utility company HOFOR. First, the project will create an overview of the distribution of drinking water on Zealand and the overall demand for water among both citizens and businesses up to 2050. The experts will then examine what measures are needed to ensure there is enough water for both citizens and businesses in the years ahead.
Shortage of drinking water threatens
The background to the project is that Zealand—and especially the Capital Region—faces significant challenges in securing enough water for both citizens and businesses in the future.
On the one hand, more water will be used in the coming years as climate change brings longer and warmer periods without rain; on the other hand, the number of residents and businesses needing water continues to grow. At the same time, the already limited volumes of groundwater are threatened by increasing pollution.
Professor of hydrology and water resources at the University of Copenhagen, Peter Bauer-Gottwein, is leading the project. He explains that this is the first time anyone has examined the total demand for water on Zealand up to 2050, and how it compares with the available resource.
-The overview will give us unique knowledge that, more than before, will make it possible to analyse which solutions are necessary to ensure there is enough water for everyone up to 2050. We may find that some areas have more water than others, and that it makes sense to cooperate more on distributing the water—for example by expanding the pipeline systems on Zealand so we can more easily send water between municipalities, the professor says, and continues:
-For example, we need to investigate whether businesses can make greater use of alternative water sources such as desalinated seawater or lake water in their production. That water does not need to be of drinking-water quality and can therefore relieve pressure on our drinking-water resources, he says.
Multi-million grant from Innovation Fund Denmark
The project has received 7.5 million kroner from Innovation Fund Denmark and will run for the next 3.5 years. The Capital Region is one of the places on Zealand where the water shortage is expected to become most pronounced. Here, the utility company HOFOR supplies drinking water to more than one million people in eight municipalities.
Analyses show that HOFOR could be short of 12 million cubic metres of drinking water in as little as 15 years. This corresponds to Odense’s entire annual consumption. Solutions therefore need to be found to address the problems. Professor of public health engineering at DTU Sustain, Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen, says:
-These are significant challenges we are facing. And even if the project finds that it is possible to cooperate more on the distribution of water, that will only be one of the solutions we need to set in motion to ensure there is enough water for everyone in the years ahead, he says, and continues:
-It is important to protect the groundwater from pollution. Groundwater is the backbone of Zealand’s water supplies, and the entire infrastructure is built around it. But the water supplies are under such pressure that it will also be necessary to supplement with other solutions—for example, better opportunities to establish new wellfields or to reduce water consumption among both businesses and citizens, says Hans-Jørgen Albrechtsen.
Providing politicians with tools to make the right choices
Peter Bauer-Gottwein explains that the aim of the project is to calculate a number of scenarios for developments up to 2050 and provide concrete proposals for solutions to the looming water shortage.
-It is difficult to predict developments many years ahead. That is why we are now gathering the necessary knowledge and offering our best proposals for solutions. After that, it is up to politicians to decide how we ensure enough water in the future, he says.
The solutions will likely also be applicable in the future in other parts of the world, such as Southern Europe, Africa and Asia, which are increasingly affected by water scarcity.
Fakta
- Innovation Fund Denmark investment: DKK 7.5 million
- Total budget: DKK 10.4 million
- Duration: Starts 1 April and runs for 3.5 years
- Official title: Water2050 – Water Supply Security in Denmark to 2050
Project partners
GEUS:
Contributes, among other things, expert knowledge on hydrological models for Zealand and calculations of future groundwater recharge.
DTU Sustain:
Contributes, among other things, expert knowledge on infrastructure adaptations such as water pipelines between municipalities. In addition, DTU Sustain contributes expert knowledge on water reuse—such as industrial water—and desalination.
HOFOR:
Contributes, among other things, expert knowledge on water demand and how it is possible to regulate the price of water.
DHI:
DHI develops modelling tools that will form the foundation for the scenario analyses in the Water2050 project and can subsequently be used in a global context as part of DHI’s international consultancy services.
KU:
Project leader Peter Bauer-Gottwein is professor of hydrology and water resources.