Substances in the water

Many products and agents containing chemicals have been used in society for decades, for a multitude of applications in all kinds of sectors and also by consumers. Chemicals are therefore everywhere in our living environment. The Rijksoverheid determines which agents and substances are allowed, for which applications, where they may be used and what the standards are for them. And new substances are added every year. However effective the properties of these substances are, they also have a downside. Exposure to chemicals can have a negative impact on our health. And when used or processed, these chemicals can be released and released into the environment. Some substances like PFAS are persistent; they don't break down or are difficult to break down. And once they get into surface water, they have a negative effect on water quality, on life in and around the water. 

Working together for clean and healthy water

As long as these kinds of agents are allowed to be used, there is a chance that they will end up in the surface water. HHNK does not want these agents and the substances they contain in the surface water. It is therefore important that all parties, authorities, supervisors and inspectors, entrepreneurs and managers make an effort to prevent and, if that is not possible, to limit emissions into the surface water. We are committed to this and work closely with and encourage others to take measures.

Considerable strides have already been made in improving water quality, especially in the area of ecological water quality, over the past few decades, for example with the advent of sewers, sewage treatment plants, permits, discharge policies and standards for plant protection products. But there is still much to do, also in terms of chemical water quality. It is important to realize that water quality problems arise over a long period of time and therefore often cannot be solved in one day. This requires many measures and broad efforts from many parties. For example, as part of the Water Framework Directive approach, the Agricultural Portal NH has been set up with the agricultural sector. And work is being done with other authorities and site managers on design measures such as nature-friendly banks.

Nowadays, there is increasing attention for micro-pollutants (medicine residues, pesticides, microplastics, hormone-like substances and PFAS). We are working on new techniques to remove these substances from sewage and improvements in indirect discharges. To monitor water quality, we conduct regular surveys and measurements and publish these measurement data on public databases such as Aquadesk. When it comes specifically to pesticides, these data are published by others on pesticidesatlas.nl. We measure in the context of water quality. However, water quality standards say nothing about the effects on public health. Only the GGD can say something about that. For questions about this, please contact the GGD.

Unwanted substances in the water

Despite these efforts, it appears that chemical substances are still being found in surface water, sometimes including substances that have been banned for years. For example, measurements taken by HHNK in 2022 show that the now banned substances dinoterb and phenchlorphos were measured at several places in our management area on a single occasion above the water quality standard.

Dinoterb is a pesticide that was used in agriculture and has been banned since 1998. The drug has a negative effect on water quality. At the moment it is unclear how, when and why these substances got into the water. Therefore, we have started an extensive source investigation into the origin of dinoterb in surface water.

All of these data come from the public database Aquadesk to which we provide our data and which anyone can access. This database lists several other substances that have also been found in surface water. If we find that there are substances in the water that do not belong or that exceed the standard, our enforcers and supervisors take action and we notify the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). 

See also

Plant protection products (Union of Water Boards)