VISION FOR THE FUTURE THE QUALITY OF DRINKING WATER IN EUROPE MORE INFORMATION: How far are we? REQUIRES PREVENTIVE PROTECTION OF THE WATER Cooperation is the key word in the activities RESOURCES: of the Association of River Waterworks The Rhine (RIWA) and the International Association The most important of Waterworks in the Rhine Catchment aim of water pollution (IAWR). control is to enable the Cooperation is necessary to achieve waterworks in the structural, lasting solutions. Rhine river basin to Cooperation forges links between produce quality people and cultures. drinking water at any river time. Strong together without And that is one of the primary merits of this association of waterworks. Respect for the insights and efforts of the RIWA Associations of River other parties in this association is growing Waterworks borders because of the cooperation. This is a good basis for successful The high standards for IAWR International Association activities in coming years. the drinking water of Waterworks in the Rhine quality in Europe catchment area Some common activities of the associations ask for preventive of waterworks: protection of the water • a homgeneous international monitoring resources. Phone: +31 (0) 30 600 90 30 network in the Rhine basin, from the Alps Fax: +31 (0) 30 600 90 39 to the North Sea, • scientific studies on substance and parasites Priority must be given E-mail: [email protected] which are relevant for to protecting water [email protected] drinking water production, resources against publication of monitoring pollutants that can The prevention of Internet: www.riwa.org • results and scientific studie get into the drinking water pollution www.iawr.org in annual reports and other water supply. requires everyone’s papers, contribution. • discussion of results with Office RIWA/IAWR industries, governments and P.O. Box 402 international commissions, NL-3430 AK Nieuwegein • active as NGO in the Commissions for the Protection of the Rhine and the Meuse. The water quality achieved so far must not under any circumstances be allowed to deteriorate RIWA Associations of River Waterworks again. IAWR International Association of Waterworks inin thethe RhineRhine catchmentcatchment areaarea River ID card River ID card name Scheldt (Escaut, Schelde) name Rhine (Rhein, Rijn) origin France origin Switzerland destination North Sea destination North Sea character rain-fed river character glacier river contents rainwater contents melt- and rainwater length 350 km length 1,320 km 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 source level 100 m source level ± 2,500/3,000 m catchment area 21,900 km2 catchment area 185,000 km2 condition rapidly out of breath condition regaining THE RIVER RHINE 12000 therapy started therapy progressive The river Rhine is 1320 km long and one of the 10000 RIWA-SECTIONS location Rupelmonde location Lobith most important rivers of central Europe. About 8000 Groningen not available Lobith Leeuwarden average speed location section Rhine AMSTERDAM 6000 50 million people live in its catchment av. discharge 120 m3/s average speed 0.5-1.5 m/s section Meuse VECHTE 3 4000 2 section Scheldt Assen min. discharge not available av. discharge 2,300 m /s (185.000 km ), an area with large agglom- IJSEL 3 max. discharge not available min. discharge 790 m /s 2000 3 erations of industries and agricultural activities. Section office ARNHEM LEK 12,000 m /s ROTTERDAM max. discharge 0 Alkmaar 1985 1990 1995 2000 Of course, all inhabitants need drinking water: LOBITH PWN Zwolle WAAL AMSTERDAM NIJMEGEN HYDRON-F RHEIN for this purpose, Rhine water is purified. Haarlem (section RHINE) Almere WMO 30 AA LIPPE GWA MARK DOMMEL Enschede BREDA 25 Leiden HYDRON-MN Apeldoorn NIERS ’s-Gravenhage 20 Utrecht RUHR DZH DÜSSELDORF Gouda RUPELMONDE Association of River Waterworks Arnhem 15 WBE HYDRON-ZH SCHELDE RIWA ANTWERPEN WUPPER Rotterdam Nijmegen 10 Dordrecht DURME In the early fifties the four largest river water GENT WERKENDAM ERFT (section MEUSE) ’s-Hertogenbosch RUR ASSER 5 LEIE KÖLN DEMER companies in the Netherlands joined forces in MANDEL DENDER Breda Brabant Water Tilburg GEUL 0 Middelburg BRUSSEL VELP SIEG 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 their fight against the increasing pollution of the DELTA Eindhoven MAASTRICHT Venlo LAAN HERK EIJSDEN OHM LYS BONN Rhine. Their initiative led to the foundation of AWW WML LILLE LiÈGE WETTER Antwerpen WIED Brugge VMW MAAS VESDRE NAMUR LAHN NIDDER 140 the RIWA in 1951. Since then RIWA has SAMBRE NIDDA OUR AHR KINZIG VMW Mechelen AMBLÉVE 120 Gent OURTHE KOBLENZ VMW become a powerful association of Dutch and VMW Hasselt SCARPE RHONELLE 100 Kortrijk BIWM LESSE Maastricht Gemeentewaterleidingen CAMBRAI ECCAILLON SINN Amsterdam 80 Belgian waterworks in the catchment areas of BRUSSEL/BRUXELLES (section SCHELDT) FRANKFURT DBOW/LT, april 2002 SAUER cartografie: Ad van der Meer & MAIN the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. Jeffrey Groen SELLE 60 OISE MOSEL NAHE WÜRZBURG THON SEMOY 40 20 SERRE International Association GLAN TAUBER watches over the interests of the drinking water of 20 million people in ALZETTE 0 of Waterworks in the Rhine CHIERS 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 SAAR MANNHEIM IAWR catchment area the catchment area of the Rhine. The IAWR is located in Nieuwegein. NECKAR In 1970 RIWA joined up with two other 30000 NIED KRAICH MEUSE JAGST organisations along the river Rhine: the RIWA Association of River Waterworks River ID card 25000 LAUTER ENZ Association of Rhine Waterworks (ARW) and Founded in 1951, RIWA was formed by four Dutch water supply name Meuse (Maas) SAUER 20000 MOSELLE origin France KOCHER the Association of Waterworks Lake companies that utilized the Rhine as a source for the preparation of ZORN 15000 destination North Sea STRASBOURG 10000 Constance-Rhine (AWBR). The collaboration drinking water. Nowadays 15 waterworks are members of the character rain-fed river NECKAR led to the foundation of the IAWR. As an organisation, which monitors the sources for drinking water production contents rainwater 5000 935 km 0 length VITTEL 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 international organisation, IAWR serves the of Dutch and Belgian citizens in the catchment areas of Rhine, Meuse source level 409 m ILL interests of the waterworks in the entire Rhine and Scheldt. As a division of IAWR, RIWA looks after the interests of catchment area 33,000 km2 condition improving 20000 catchment area. the people in the Dutch lower part of the river Rhine. The organisation therapy steadily progressing 18000 Nowadays RIWA and IAWR are exemplary is located in Nieuwgein. 16000 location Eijsden BODENSEE 14000 organisations for other international 12000 average speed 0.5-1.0 m/s 10000 3 BASEL associations of waterworks, for instance in the ARW Association of Rhine Waterworks av. discharge 230 m /s 8000 3 ZÜRICH 6000 min. discharge 1 m /s REUSS 4000 catchment area of the Danube. In 1957 fourteen German waterworks decided to establish the ZÜRICHSEE 3 AARE max. discharge 3,100 m /s 2000 WALENSEE Association of Rhine Waterworks. Since then about 30 waterworks 0 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 BIELER SEE IAWR International Association of Waterworks and other public utilities in the German part of the Rhine VIERWALDSTÄTTER SEE LAC DE in the Rhine catchment area catchment area have joined ARW. The association is NEUCHÂTEL 1,00 VORDERRHEIN BRIENZER SEE HINTERRHEIN IAWR unifies three associations of water- located in Cologne. THUNERSEE 0,80 works, covering the entire catchment area of 0,60 the river Rhine. Founded in 1970, a year after AWBR Association of Waterworks Lake Constance-Rhine 0,40 the pesticide endosulfan had killed massive The Association of Waterworks Lake Constance-Rhine 0,20 numbers of fish in the Rhine near Bingen was founded in 1968 by about 30 water supply 0,00 (Germany), IAWR was formed to make sure companies in Switzerland, France and the south of 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 that a powerful gesture could be made in Germany. Nowadays over 70 waterworks in the upper international matters concerning rivers. part of the river Rhine are associated with AWBR. 16 Counting about 50 waterworks at its The organisation has member companies in Germany, 12 formation, today over 120 waterworks are Switzerland, Austria, France and Liechtenstein. 8 associated with IAWR. The organisation The association is located in Stuttgard. 4 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000.