ABSTRACT
Groundwater abstraction has to be reduced at many places in the Netherlands to stop the loss of wetlands. Waterworks of central Netherlands (WMN) has therefore developed the DOPASS concept for some of its future drinking water production. This innovative concept is based on a double aquifer passage, the use of surface water and natural processes. Bank filtrate will be pumped from shallow wells in the floodplains of the river Rhine and then transported to the treatment plant. The treated water will be used for artificial recharge in a thick phreatic aquifer at an existing groundwater extraction site and will be extracted with several months detention together with the local groundwater. The first aquifer passage removes the suspended material from the river water and levels off quality differences. The main functions of the second aquifer passage are disinfection, a further levelling off of seasonal and quality differences and buffering for disaster situations.
