SEA for The Netherlands
national water plan
A case study
Rob Verheem
The Netherlands EIA Commission
Content of the plan

Demand management

Site selection for water production

Selection of sources, e.g. ground water versus
surface water
Context for the SEA

Most significant problems are:

Soil dehydration

Land use of water production facilities

Increasing pollution of sources
Purpose of the SEA
 Assess
impact of alternative water
production policies
 Assess
impact of alternative water
production methods
Integration into planning process
Step 1: public notification of start combined plan/SEA process
Step 2: public consultation + independent advice on SEA TOR
Step 3: combined preparation of draft plan & SEA
Step 4: publication of draft plan & SEA
Step 5: public consultation + independent advice on draft plan
& quality of SEA
Step 6: Preparation of final plan & cabinet decision
Step 7: approval by Parliament
Alternatives
For the water policy:

On the basis of existing ground/surface water
ratio:




Increase total water production
Decrease total water production
Reduce industrial water use
On the basis of a shift in ground surface water
ratio:


Increase ground water use; decrease surface water use
Increase surface water use; decrease ground water use
Alternative production methods

Use of ground water:




Use of surface water:



Use of shallow ground water
Use of deep ground water
Use of infiltrated river water
Via natural reservoirs
Via artificial reservoirs
Artificial infiltration:


Surface infiltration
Deep infiltration
Methodology for impact assessment
Methodology to asses policies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Prognoses of water demand
Development of hydrological models
Combining 1 and 2: impact on ground and
surface water
Development of model to determine natural
value of water dependent ecosystems
Combining 3 and 4: impact of alternatives on
nature
Methodology for impact assessment
Methodology to asses production methods

Environmental impacts assessed:






Nature
Landscape
Use of resources
Waste production
Energy use
Non environmental impacts:



Effect on healt
Use of space
Technical/economical aspects, e.g. availability,
flexibility, vulnerability, financial costs, acceptability
Assessment of production methods

Definition of sub-criteria for each aspect

Quantitative assessment:



Qualitative assessment:



Through literature and modelling
Effects on nature, resources, waste, energy, use of
space, financial costs
Ranking on 8 point scale through expert judgement
Effects on landscape, health, availability, flexibility,
vulnerability, acceptability
Combining scores into one final score through
multi-criteria-analysis
Comparison of alternatives

Policies: on the basis of effect on nature

Production methods:

On the basis of final scores using different weight sets






Health most important
Use of resources/waste/energy most important
Nature most important
Landscape most important
Technical/economic issues most important
Sensitivity analysis: uncertainties in methodology
applied, scores, weight sets and future developments
Public participation

Written comments on TOR of SEA

Written comments and public hearing on draft
plan and quality of SEA

Dedicated meetings with target groups and
related agencies throughout the SEA/plan
process
Additional supplies





allocate existing renewable water supplies
maximize waste water reuse
increase brackish water treatment & reuse
reduce groundwater pumping
use drainage water, where available
4) Issues that require action or coordination
Action plan:
 Policy & legal
 Institutions
 Alternatives & mitigation
 Monitoring & information:
 Capacity building
Actions: policy & legal




Improve ground water management policies
enforce groundwater pumping regulations
include pesticide use in water quality standards
review regulations on environmental effects
irrigation
Actions: institutions






strengthen the role of environmental agency in
industrial & domestic waste water facilities
coordinate monitoring of several agencies
enforce urban & waste water regulations
increase role of NGOs in raising awareness
improve incentives to use treated waste water in
irrigation
improve environmental stewardship of current
water bodies
Actions: alternatives & mitigation






EIA mandatory for all major water projects
assure effective utilization of national resources
increased emphasis on public awareness
campaigns
capacity building in environmental organizations
integrate environmental concerns in regulations
and standards
establish action plan for increased use of treated
waste water
Actions: monitoring & data collection





coordination of monitoring by different agencies
improved data sharing between ministries & with
NGOs
role of NGOs in monitoring
regular provision of monitoring results to
stakeholders
highlight safety issues for workers in treatment
plans and farmers using treated waste water
Actions: capacity building



For all environmental agencies and agencies
dealing with environmental issues
EIA training: preparing TORs, supervision of
process and evaluation of results
integration of water issues in school curricula
Next steps

Near term:



seminars and training workshops for professionals in
public & private sector and civil society
environmental training for staff in water related
organizations & NGOs
Longer term:

EIA & social assessment routinely carried out for all
water related investments