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Resources

The Resources section provides access to a curated collection of reports, datasets, tools, and publications related to groundwater. It serves as a knowledge hub for researchers, policymakers, and groundwater professionals, offering insights into groundwater management, monitoring, and sustainability. Explore data, guidelines, and expert analyses to support informed decision-making and research.

Groundwater

“Groundwater” by R. Allan Freeze and John A. Cherry, published in 1979, is a seminal textbook in hydrogeology. It integrates chemistry, physics, geology, and calculus to provide a comprehensive understanding of groundwater hydrology. The book covers topics such as transport processes, groundwater contamination, well hydraulics, and aquifer yield, including analogue and numerical modelling.

This textbook has been made freely available online in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French, through initiatives like The Groundwater Project.

Cherry, J. A., & Freeze, R. A. (1979). Groundwater. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. p. 370

Find more groundwater-related books at the evolving platform of the Groundwater Project

Groundwater in the Netherlands

The essential resource of Dufour provides a comprehensive overview of groundwater in the Netherlands, exploring how geography and climate influence groundwater recharge and flow. It delves into the country’s geological formations, aquifers, and groundwater systems, alongside patterns of groundwater movement, salinity, pollution, and water quality. The book examines groundwater abstraction for drinking water, agriculture, and industry, as well as the effects of urbanisation and pollution. It also covers Dutch groundwater policies, legislation, and monitoring systems, making it a valuable reference for policymakers, researchers, and environmental professionals.

The book is available both in English and Dutch:

Dufour, F. C. (1998). Groundwater in the Netherlands: Facts and figures. TNO, Delft, p. 96

Dufour, F. C. (1998). Grondwater in Nederland: Onzichtbaar water waarop wij lopen. TNO, Delft, p. 265

Groundwater is a crucial source of fresh water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses, and for maintaining aquatic- and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. It is also of importance for identifying and securing sustainable use of energy resources and subsurface storage sites. Groundwater interacts with different parts of system earth, including the atmosphere, surface water, soil, geological environment and with many geological processes. This chapter provides an overview of groundwater systems in the Netherlands and the Dutch continental shelf at depths from the surface down to about 5 km. The overview shows how the groundwater systems are shaped by the interplay between natural mechanisms operating on various geological timescales and the impact of anthropogenic activities. Important mechanisms involved in the development of groundwater flow systems include differences in the elevation of the groundwater table (its topographic relief), contrasts in groundwater density and hydromechanical interaction of groundwater with geologic media. The topography-driven groundwater flow systems in the coastal dunes, Pleistocene ice-pushed ridges, and the southeastern part of the country contain important fresh groundwater resources of meteoric origin. These resources occur largely in unconsolidated sedimentary sequences of Holocene and Pleistocene to Neogene age. Natural and anthropogenic factors explain the Holocene history of salinization and seepage in the coastal zone. The large transboundary topography-driven groundwater flow system in the southeast of the Netherlands has developed since Miocene times. It induced freshening of groundwater to relatively great depths and cooling of subsurface temperatures. Case studies show the effects of shallow and deep fault zones on flow and chemical conditions of groundwater. Groundwater in older, pre-Paleogene to Carboniferous units outside the realm of topography-driven flow mostly consists of highly saline brines. Groundwater in these units also shows high overpressures in the northern offshore and northern and northeastern part of the Netherlands, while close to hydrostatic pressures prevail in the southern onshore and adjacent offshore area. This spatial difference reflects the differences in burial history and hydrogeological framework.

Chapter 17 Hydrogeology by Verweij, H., Oude Essink, G., Hartog, N., Zaadnoordijk, W. J. in ten Veen, J., Vis, G.J., de Jager, J., Wong, T. (2025). Geology of the Netherlands. Amsterdam University Press, second edition, p. 908

The book chapter “Groundwater” by J.J. de Vries provides a comprehensive overview of the hydrogeological characteristics of the Netherlands. It discusses the regional aquifer systems, particularly the medium-grained Plio-Pleistocene fluvial sands, which vary in thickness from 25 to 250 meters. The study highlights the influence of the country’s topography on groundwater flow patterns, noting that the western regions, often below sea level, consist of polders with artificially managed water levels, leading to complex infiltration and discharge dynamics. In contrast, the eastern regions feature shallow aquifers with seasonal stream systems and deeper aquifers in elevated areas with minimal surface drainage. Annually, approximately 1,700 million cubic meters of fresh groundwater are extracted in the Netherlands, with about 60% allocated for public water supply.

de Vries, J. J. (2007). Groundwater. In Geology of the Netherlands, pp. 295-315

Global Groundwater Information System (GGIS)

GGIS is a web-based platform by IGRAC that provides access to global groundwater data. It allows users to visualize, analyse, and share information on groundwater resources, quality, and monitoring. GGIS supports informed decision-making and promotes international collaboration for sustainable groundwater management. Global Groundwater Information System (GGIS)

Resources

Groundwater

Groundwater in the Netherlands

Global Groundwater Information System (GGIS)

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