Following the Umbrella Report KRW, the Province of South Holland has developed its own Interim Balance to achieve the goals of the Water Framework Directive (KRW) within the province. It is clear that it will still be a considerable task to meet all goals for a good condition of groundwater and surface water by 2027.

Arne Weverlling, deputy for water: “The figures show that despite the efforts of the province, other authorities, and companies, a significant extra effort will be needed in the coming years. This interim balance identifies concrete actions for this, in addition to the measures that have already been taken or are currently being implemented. We have also looked at possible next steps within our tasks and responsibilities.”

A lot has already happened

We have a major task ahead of us to get the quality of groundwater and surface water and groundwater balance in order. A lot of work has already been done in recent years, and with results. According to national forecasts, the concentration of most KRW substances shows a downward trend. Also, for the vast majority of the goals, the KRW is being met. However, due to the KRW principle of ‘one-out-all-out’, almost all water bodies are ultimately assessed as ‘insufficient’.

Extra effort

In South Holland, there are 5 groundwater bodies and 125 surface water bodies, resulting in about 10,000 goals for the KRW. To achieve all these goals, a joint effort is needed: from authorities, citizens, and businesses. The province is making every effort to achieve the KRW goals by 2027. The interim balance includes concrete extra measures aimed at the biggest challenges that hinder achieving the KRW goals. The measures focus on both groundwater and surface water. With the implementation of these extra measures, in addition to generic policy, and with strong collaboration from our area partners, much can still be achieved towards 2027.

European Directive

The KRW is a European directive for the protection of groundwater and surface water sources, with the task of achieving the set goals by 2027 at the latest. In the first years of this period (and also in earlier planning periods), we as a province have already taken many measures. To timely assess the effects of these measures, the initiative has been taken for an earlier published Progress Report KRW 2024 and now this Interim Balance KRW 2025.

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