Dewatering water is water that is being pumped up on construction sites. In 90% of cases this water is wasted. If you take into account that one construction site easily pumps up more than 10.000 litres of water per hour and is wasted in the sewage system, you’ll realise this is not a small issue.
WerfWater stimulates local circular economies by promoting the reuse of this water through the WerfWater platform.
WerfWater is a start-up founded during the drought of 2020 by Lemon Companies (IT company) and Switchrs (strategic circular innovation company). In Belgium, there were two major problems at that time:
1. Drought; and
2. Very low groundwater levels.
Due to increasingly hot summers with less precipitation and more precipitation in shorter periods during the winter, the groundwater levels were not sufficiently replenished.
The WerfWater family began to look into the various causes that contribute to or intensify this problem. One of the often overlooked problems was the pumped up water at construction sites. When pumping water at construction sites, we noticed that this water was almost never being put to good use.
WerfWater’s focus is on finding solutions so that less drainage water is wasted.
(Quickly) after we launched we got some major attention from construction companies as well as municipalities. At the peak of the drought period the Flemish minister of environment, Zuhal Demir, even came to one of the construction sites where we demonstrated the reuse of groundwater to highlight our pioneering way of working.
WerfWater started looking for possible sustainable solutions for this wasted water.
This led to the creation of the matchmaking platform to link the supply and demand of this water. Both municipalities and construction companies can offer the construction water on this platform.
Digital monitoring of the flow meters are currently being implemented. With these detailed measurements, WerfWater can make assessment and predictions/optimisations of the future waterflow in order to reduce pumped up volume.
Vision for the future
For now, the intention of WerfWater is to help local partners, but in the future Werfwater is planning to expand this to an international level. If everyone follows WerfWater’s example, soon there will be less waste of water on construction sites and other industries. These sectors, such as the agricultural sector, will have the opportunity to use an additional source of water. Arne Van Baelen, Managing Director of Werfwater, is already working day and night to achieve all of the WerfWater goals.
WerfWater part of the Road 21 familiy.
