It rains less and less often, and when it does, the showers are often very intense. Water buffering can provide a solution to retain precipitation surpluses for longer periods of drought. Even though underground storage has enormous potential, the complexities of site-specific challenges, management and regulations do not make it easy. Within Aquatuur, we demonstrate underground water storage using creek back infiltration. In this way, we want to reduce complexity and increase replicability from within the project. The partners with an active role in this are: municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland and the province of Zeeland.

Above ground, freshwater basins are also increasingly seen as a solution for buffering. Within Aquatuur we are investigating how we can make such basins a welcome guest in the landscape, which ecological stepping stones we can create, and how we can avoid ecological traps. Active partners in this are: Noord-Beveland, Inagro and the Province of Zeeland.

How can we use possible surplus water in nature areas for agriculture? Can there be synergy between nature and agriculture around water exchange? This is what Vlakwa - VITO wants to investigate together with the Province of Zeeland within seven areas in Flanders and the Netherlands.