To prepare the Netherlands for sea level rise in the long term, the Sea Level Rise Knowledge Programme has explored different strategies to keep the country safe and habitable: 'protect', 'advance', and combinations of ‘accommodate’ and ‘retreat’.

Lake IJssel is an important source of freshwater for the production of drinking water in the Netherlands. How climate change affects the ecological water quality of Lake IJssel, and whether this results in increasing ecological risks and challenges for drinking water production, is largely unclear.

Extremes in dry weather will become more common in the Netherlands, according to a new STOWA study. In this study, drought statistics and associated data products are derived to provide water managers with the building blocks for models, measures and policies for their own areas of operation.

Shallow riparian zones and wetlands are important spawning and nursery areas for juvenile fish and contribute to a species-rich fish fauna. Because such areas were largely lacking in Lake Markermeer, new nature reserves like Marker Wadden have been created, and the possibility of linking the Oostvaardersplassen to Lake Markermeer is being considered. 

Major and sudden changes with a lasting impact are a blind spot for the water sector and society. How can drinking water companies and water authorities continue to do their work when the world is changing so drastically? The ‘Deep Adaptation for the Water Sector’ project is taking the first steps toward greater adaptability to radical system changes.

As a result of climate change, demographic growth and increasing competition for freshwater resources, the Dutch freshwater supply chain is under pressure. How do we ensure a fair distribution and water quality that meets everyone's needs? How can we oversee the choices we face and the effects of potential measures? The model-based framework 'Water Matchmaker' aims to support the sector in answering these questions.

During the very dry summers of 2018, 2019 and 2022, the high sandy soils in the east and the south of the Netherlands suffered from major shortages of groundwater for drinking water production, nature and agriculture. For drinking water company Vitens and the regional water authority ‘Vallei en Veluwe’, the question arose whether supplementing groundwater supplies with effluent from wastewater treatment plants was an option.