Water2050 Water Supply Security in Denmark to 2050

Water supply security in Denmark is at risk because water demands increase and groundwater availability is limited. Through increased water supply security, drought preparedness, and reduced investment and running costs, intelligent water supply adaptation can generate cost savings and enable economic growth worth hundreds of millions of DKK for Denmark.

Water demand growth is due to industrial expansion, population growth in cities, and climate-sensitive irrigation demands. At the same time, groundwater resources are regionally overused, future groundwater availability is uncertain, and wellfields are vulnerable to pollution.

Water2050 will evaluate supply-side and demand-side solutions and will develop an integrated optimization model (IOM, combining the GEUS National Hydrological Model, the Jupiter database of the water supply infrastructure, new water supply options, and models of water users) to find adaptation options that can ensure water supply security in Denmark to 2050. We will use this new planning and decision support tool to evaluate portfolios of infrastructure investments and policy changes under different climate and socioeconomic scenarios, and to find optimal, cost-effective, and robust adaptation options which ensure safety, reliability, resilience, and climate robustness of the Danish water supply system to 2050. Based on these results, Water2050 will provide recommendations for optimal adaptation of the Danish water supply system to 2050.