2020

A Journey Through the Meuse River Basin: Rijkswaterstaat on the Changing Perception of the Meuse

As the manager of the Meuse, Rijkswaterstaat Zuid-Nederland is responsible for both the water quantity and water quality of the main stem of the river. Policy Advisor Aleksandra Jaskula specializes in low-water management issues on the Meuse. She is also involved in the work of the International Meuse Commission (IMC) and participates in the RIBASIM project team, where an international water balance is being developed. She was also asked to react to the 1972 article. What stands out?

Jaskula notes: "The single most important change in the Meuse basin since 1972 is the establishment of the Meuse Discharge Treaty. The central government (het Rijk) put a great deal of effort into achieving this. Through the execution of this treaty, low discharges like those mentioned in the 1972 article will 'never' occur again. As a result of the treaty, the discharge at Borgharen is now anything but negligible, and it is no longer the case that the river downstream from Borgharen amounts to nothing."

Jaskula continues: "Striking and illustrative of the Meuse as a river are the massive discrepancies between its minimum and maximum discharges. This is typical for a rain-fed river, which is inherently volatile. That was no different fifty years ago. However, its utilization has changed. In 1972, the Meuse was important for shipping and for the drinking water supply. Today, we take a broader perspective. It is also about nature and ecology, for instance, and the societal perception and recreational value of the river. Policy makers pay attention to the intrinsic value of the river. That scope is new. We view the river through a different lens."

Trends

To maintain a grip on the river flow, Rijkswaterstaat measures the discharge of the Meuse 24/7. In addition, the water authority continuously receives water discharge data from other locations along the Meuse. Protocols for this data exchange have been developed within the IMC.

Jaskula says: "To identify trends in water discharge, we look at time series stretching over 50 to 100 years. For this purpose, Rijkswaterstaat has measurement records dating back to 1911." What do they show?

"In the 1970s, there was severe drought. 1976, in particular, was an extremely dry year. In the Netherlands and Europe, a great deal of attention shifted toward low water levels. Rijkswaterstaat, in collaboration with the Rand Corporation and the Delft Hydraulics Laboratory (Waterloopkundig Laboratorium), conducted an extensive policy analysis study on water management in the Netherlands. The focus was on water management during droughts. A lot of work was also put into water distribution and water retention. In short: low water was high on the agenda. Because no significant high waters occurred for several decades, the high waters and floods of 1993 and 1995 came as a massive surprise."

Low Water Is Forgotten Very Quickly

She continues: "The impact of the high water was immense. In the preceding years, a lot of construction had taken place in the floodplains of the Meuse, because the river water 'never' reached those areas anyway. When the Meuse eventually did behave the way a rain-fed river naturally does from time to time, the consequences were severe. Following that, a lot of attention in the Netherlands shifted toward high water levels. And during the wet years that ensued, low water was forgotten once again.

It resembles a pattern: drought and high water alternate and tend to occur in clusters of about 10 years. That is more than enough time to forget the other extreme. Following the drought of 2003, and certainly after the drought of the last four years, attention in the Netherlands shifted back to low water levels. This time, not at the expense of attention for high water, but alongside it. Even after 10 wet years, we must not forget that low-water issues will always be present."

Climate Scenarios

The focus on climate change also appears to be new. "To be able to anticipate this, we are working with climate scenarios as of 2021. The outcomes of various climate scenarios all point to an increase in low-water periods in the Meuse. In that case, the low discharge of the Meuse could decrease by about 40 to 50 percent in the second half of this century. That is why a Delta Programme for Freshwater (Deltaprogramma Zoetwater) was established. Within this framework, a drought study was recently conducted. Another new development is the appointment of a Delta Commissioner who also champions low-water issues. A Delta Fund has been created, intended among other things to finance measures aimed at combating low water. By anchoring low water within the Delta Programme, the issue will always receive attention."

According to Jaskula, the climate scenarios emphasize that Meuse water users, including the drinking water sector, must anticipate the increase in low-water periods on the Meuse. "This is why joint studies are being prepared in the international river basin to gain greater insight into water use and water abstraction. This data is required to build a collaborative international water balance."