Joint-fact-finding
Innovative governance strategies include involving stakeholders in a joint-fact-finding process. The Deltares Aquality App is used to involve farmers in water quality monitoring. This can bridge the knowledge gap between regional water quality monitoring networks showing non-compliance and the impact that activities of individual farmers have on this. This awareness promotes the willingness to adapt best management practices in cooperation with water authorities. After their implementation, the effects of the solutions can be measured with Aquality as well. The Aquality App has been used like this in circa 70 farmer groups, including around 500 farms. Around 12 water boards, agricultural cooperations, and consultants are involved in joint-fact-finding projects with farmers using the Aquality App.
Fresh water availability
The option to measure salinity (Electrical Conductivity or EC) was added to the Aquality App in 2022. This enabled farmer and citizen participation in collecting data on fresh water availability in saline coastal areas. Salinization is an increasing challenge for farmers using groundwater or surface water for irrigation. Within the province of Zeeland (Southwest Netherlands) 300 farmers and agricultural students have been collecting around 7000 measurements. This detailed data helps authorities and farmers to define where fresh water conservation measures are most needed.
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Salinity (EC) measurements with the Aquality App and screenshots of measurements in March 2023
Nature reserve protection
In Nature reserves, the Aquality App helps to identify inputs of nutrients and to distinguish water types (groundwater, precipitation water). Deltares used Aquality studying Natura 2000 reserves Springendalse beek and Lemselermaten, which are both affected by nitrate rich groundwater input. The NGO Mens, Dier en Peel uses Aquality App in cooperation with Fontys Applied University to map nitrate levels around the nature area ‘De Peel’ in Southeast Netherlands.
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Salinity (EC) measurement in a groundwater dependent natural grassland in Eastern Netherlands
Education
The Aquality app is used for educational purposes by several schools ranging from primary schools to universities. Among the universities actively using Aquality are Free University of Amsterdam, University of Groningen, University of Rennes, University of Groningen, Utrecht University, Aeres Applied University, Fontys Applied University, HAS Den Bosch Applied University. Around 100 students per year apply the Aquality App, mainly in field courses.
Measuring nutrients
The Deltares Aquality app is useful for finding hotspots of nitrate losses in agricultural catchments. This helps Water Authorities to take effective measures at the right locations instead of imposing sometimes ineffective generic regulations on all farmers. Routings with the Aquality App have been done in ca. 30 catchments covering ca 30.000 hectares and 1200 farms.
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