crucial issue and the memory of the famine during the last winter of the war was
still very fresh. In the 1950s, investments were made to drain the agricultural lands
and to enable irrigation for sufficient food production. As the farmers also observed
the positive influence of irrigation on crop yields, many of them installed pumps
and sprinkler systems on their fields. Thus, agricultural irrigation became a common practice, especially during dry summers. Both groundwater and surface water
were used for agricultural irrigation.
Despite the positive influence of irrigation on crop yields, problems emerged in the
1980s. Drainage and groundwater extraction caused desiccation, which damaged both
the agricultural areas as well as the natural areas that were sensitive to the changes in
groundwater level. Improvement works were made to decrease the drainage of water
from the land. By that time, however, irrigation was considered vital particularly for
grass and crop production, since groundwater extraction reduced the watertable and in
some areas the soil became too poor to produce food without irrigation.
In the 1990s and 2000s, environmental conservation became an important concern,
partly due to the requirements of EU directives. Therefore, during drought periods,
when the water sufficiency was threatened for drinking and industrial uses and for
nature areas, water authorities were authorized to ban irrigation with groundwater.
These bans caused problems for farmers, particularly those growing grass and corn.
As the water authorities started to see drought as a common problem in the
region, they initiated discussions for a joint policy on the use of water in irrigation.
They also had the additional objective of harmonizing their policies so that the
farmers living in border areas of the water authorities would not be negatively
affected of the different policies of different water authorities. It was, however,
difficult to have all the water authorities on board. Some water authorities did not
have problems during the major droughts, which were experienced in 2003 and
2010, so they did not want to spend time on developing an irrigation policy. Others
had different priorities and they did not know where such a common policy would
lead to. The water authority of Regge and Dinkel (WRD), which is now the Twente
region of the water authority of Vechtstromen, was the only exception.
In 2010, WRD decided to have an irrigation policy, even if a regional policy
would not be formulated. They concentrated on getting less irrigation from surface
water and more from groundwater. When they spoke with the farmer organization
(Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie, LTO) they thought this is a solution that will have
support with the farmers but this was not the case, especially because some farmers
relied on surface water for irrigation. Thus, the LTO did not support the decision.
Discussions lasted until the beginning of 2011, but no concrete outcome was
reached. Then halfway 2011, the five water authorities decided to work together and
initiated a project to formulate a policy that would address the protection of natural
areas. They also involved the nature conservation organizations (NCOs), which were
represented by their umbrella organization (Natuur en Milieu Overijssel, NMO).
In 2012 a consulting firm was hired to provide support on assessing the impact of
irrigation on nature areas and defining a buffer zone around the nature conservation
areas. A model was made on the influence of water extraction with respect to different
soil types, extraction types and depths. The results of that model were used to decide on
164
G. Özerol et al.
still very fresh. In the 1950s, investments were made to drain the agricultural lands
and to enable irrigation for sufficient food production. As the farmers also observed
the positive influence of irrigation on crop yields, many of them installed pumps
and sprinkler systems on their fields. Thus, agricultural irrigation became a common practice, especially during dry summers. Both groundwater and surface water
were used for agricultural irrigation.
Despite the positive influence of irrigation on crop yields, problems emerged in the
1980s. Drainage and groundwater extraction caused desiccation, which damaged both
the agricultural areas as well as the natural areas that were sensitive to the changes in
groundwater level. Improvement works were made to decrease the drainage of water
from the land. By that time, however, irrigation was considered vital particularly for
grass and crop production, since groundwater extraction reduced the watertable and in
some areas the soil became too poor to produce food without irrigation.
In the 1990s and 2000s, environmental conservation became an important concern,
partly due to the requirements of EU directives. Therefore, during drought periods,
when the water sufficiency was threatened for drinking and industrial uses and for
nature areas, water authorities were authorized to ban irrigation with groundwater.
These bans caused problems for farmers, particularly those growing grass and corn.
As the water authorities started to see drought as a common problem in the
region, they initiated discussions for a joint policy on the use of water in irrigation.
They also had the additional objective of harmonizing their policies so that the
farmers living in border areas of the water authorities would not be negatively
affected of the different policies of different water authorities. It was, however,
difficult to have all the water authorities on board. Some water authorities did not
have problems during the major droughts, which were experienced in 2003 and
2010, so they did not want to spend time on developing an irrigation policy. Others
had different priorities and they did not know where such a common policy would
lead to. The water authority of Regge and Dinkel (WRD), which is now the Twente
region of the water authority of Vechtstromen, was the only exception.
In 2010, WRD decided to have an irrigation policy, even if a regional policy
would not be formulated. They concentrated on getting less irrigation from surface
water and more from groundwater. When they spoke with the farmer organization
(Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie, LTO) they thought this is a solution that will have
support with the farmers but this was not the case, especially because some farmers
relied on surface water for irrigation. Thus, the LTO did not support the decision.
Discussions lasted until the beginning of 2011, but no concrete outcome was
reached. Then halfway 2011, the five water authorities decided to work together and
initiated a project to formulate a policy that would address the protection of natural
areas. They also involved the nature conservation organizations (NCOs), which were
represented by their umbrella organization (Natuur en Milieu Overijssel, NMO).
In 2012 a consulting firm was hired to provide support on assessing the impact of
irrigation on nature areas and defining a buffer zone around the nature conservation
areas. A model was made on the influence of water extraction with respect to different
soil types, extraction types and depths. The results of that model were used to decide on
164
G. Özerol et al.