AWWA ACE65442

This slide presentation begins by providing background information on the production of drinking water from surface water in the Netherlands. It gives the chronology of extreme weather events from extreme discharges of the Rhine and Meuse rivers (1993, 1995), an increase in extreme rainfall, e.g. autumn 1998 and August 2006, the summer drought of 2003 and the heat wave of July 2006, up to April 2007 which was the hottest month in 300 years. The main research themes of Kiwa's climate change research program are outlined, along with examples of climate change impacts on water quality, climate change scenario's for the Netherlands, and hydrological scenario's for the Rhine River. A case study of the water quality of the Rhine River during summer droughts (2003) and heat waves (July 2006) is presented and covers topics that include: chemical water quality; water temperature; eutrophication; and, seawater intrusion in the Rhine-Meuse delta (summer 2003). Implications for drinking water production are presented, along with effects of mitigation and options for adaptation.