Groote Meer water purification
The water quality of the Groote Meer is improving. A unique water purification project was launched in 2020 as part of the LIFE HELVEX project: a 240-metre-long iron sand filter. The water in the Groote Meer was struggling with excess phosphate, including from neighbouring agricultural areas. Rare flora and fauna such as shore weed, sedges and black-necked grebe were in trouble as a result.
Natuurmonumenten, Grenspark Kalmthoutse Heide, Waterschap Brabantse Delta, Province of Noord-Brabant and Stad & Groen joined forces to protect one of the Netherlands' largest fens.
Today, we see very clearly the positive results from measurements.
It was a daring undertaking, the construction of a treatment plant to purify excess phosphate in run-off water. It had never been done on this scale before, so it was anxious to see whether the results would be good enough. Due to years of agricultural activities in the Steertse Heide, the run-off water contains too much phosphates. Too much to be able to preserve the Groote Meer and its typical plants in the future. So we had to look for a system where that water would flow through a mixture of sand and iron.
Phosphate binds to iron and the water flowing into the Little and Groote Meer should have a much better quality. And it works!
In this graph you can see that the total phosphate is very high before the water enters the treatment works. When the water passes through the iron sand filter and flows into the Groote Meer, the phosphate content has dropped sharply.
The construction of the purification work is part of LIFE HELVEX, a European project to restore heathland, land dunes and fens and combat invasive exotic species. The province of North Brabant has co-financed the realisation of the purification work.
