Dinteloord – ASR enables cross-sectorial water reuse

The continuous availability of freshwater of very good and reliable quality is a precondition for modern intensive greenhouse horticulture. For Dinteloord, the Netherlands, a 260 hectares greenhouse area under development by developer TOM, the freshwater availability was not self-evident. Although the water needs are largely satisfied through the collection of rainwater and its storage in surface basins, serious shortages arise during drought periods. The inflow of surface water to the area is limited, while the groundwater is brackish and is not naturally recharged

To guarantee the supply of irrigation water at all times, an advanced sustainable freshwater supply was realized using ASR-Coastal, i.e. an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system fit for storage and unmixed recovery of freshwater in brackish aquifers. The Dinteloord water system consists of rapid filtration, ultra-filtration (UF) and finally RO-treatment unit for wastewater from a sugar factory, an ASR-Coastal well field, and a 5 km distribution loop connecting all water to with the ASR-Coastal scheme that stores and recovers the water between autumn and spring/summer. The system is an example of hybrid grey and green infrastructure. It is collectively owned by the greenhouse farmers and costs are covered by a pay-per-use system.