ANDRÉ OLSCHEWSKI, SWISS ASSOCIATION OF WATER UTILITIES SVGW, HEAD OF WATER, ZÜRICH

HOW SVGW SUPPORTS THE DRINKING WATER SECTOR

Swiss Water Partnership SWP

General Assembly 2019, June 12th 2019, WV Zürich

Agenda

• Who is the SVGW ? Roles, services….

• Swiss drinking water sector

• Current challenges for the drinking water sector in Switzerland

• International context

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW) 2

Swiss Association of Gas- and Water Industry SVGW -representing also 530 drinking water utilities

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW)

3

70% der Einwohner

SVGW services in water:

• safe guard of drinking water quality

• Knowledge platform• Vocational training• Setting of technical

rules and standards• Audits and certification• Information• One voice for drinking

water

Representing

70% of

population served

Key characteristics:

• > 140 years old

• Gas-/Energy Supply and Water Supply

• Association / Self help group

• Formalized member network

• Water

• Drinking water: → legal basis: “Foodstuff”

• Water resources: → legal basis: “Environment”

Organisation and Governance:

• Board

• Technical steering committee

• Technical working groups (voluntary)

• Secretariat & working groups: around 50 pers.

How are we organized - how do we work?

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW) 4

Members:

• Water supply utilities, association of water supply utilities, communities

• Industry incl. Engineers and service providers

• Authorities at national and cantonal level

• Individuals

Funding sources:

• ±45% member fees

• ± 50% income through services, mainly vocational training and conferences

• ± 5% other income

• No core funding by government

Who are members? How are we funded?

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW) 5

Drinking water provision: Legal basis, roles and responsibilities

6

F A T S V

System

responsibility

Law national

→ cantonal

Related topic

all

GSchG

environment

natural resources DW supply system consumer

Commune / utility

LMG/TBDV

foodstuff

House owner

LMG/TBDV

foodstuff

km_AnforderungWV_0301_02

Constitution Bundesverfassung BV

BV Art 5 / 43a:Delegation of duties (Subsidiarity principle):→ National level to Cantons → Cantons can delegate duty e.g. for water

supply to communes

BV Art 76:→ cantons are owner of water bodies

Structure of drinking water utilities 2015

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 7

139

191

144 142

86

215

1'647

604

223

11436 10

0

200

400

600

800

1'000

1'200

1'400

1'600

1'800

0

30

60

90

120

150

180

210

240

270

< 2000 2'000 - 4'999 5'000 - 9'999 10'000 - 19'999 20'000 - 49'999 > 50'000

An

zah

l Was

serv

ers

org

un

gen

Was

sera

bga

be

im e

ige

ne

n V

ers

org

un

gsge

bie

t [M

io.

m3

]

Grösse der Wasserversorgung (versorgte Einwohner)

Wasserversorgungen und Wasserabgabe 2013 (hochgerechnet)(Annahme: Gesamtanzahl der Wasserversorgungen rund 10% höher als Anzahl Gemeinden)Few big and many

small utilitiesNo of utilities(SVGW members)

Share of total water provided

Some key figures (2015)

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 8

People served: 8.3 Mio.

Water provided: 933 Mio. m3

Coverage DW: 98% (2% by «Self Supply»)

Average daily consumption incl. industrial sector: 300 l / cap* day

Average daily consumption per cap in household 142 L / cap

Average costs for DW: 1m3→ 2.00 CHF

Costs per cap in household for DW: 0.30 CHF /day

Eco footprint: Tap water : mineral water → 1: >500

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 9

Water Production

springs

pumpedgroundwater

Surface water(treated)

About 70% of waterdistributed without

major treatment

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 11

Usage of drinking water

«Replacement Value» of drinking water infrastructure

12Basiswissen Wasserversorgung

Replacement value CHF

Key technical and processes

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 13

SVGW-Standards / Best practices

Technical key components:• Catchment area and wells/springs• Water treatment• Reservoir• Mains / distribution network

Key processes:• Operation and maintenance• Water safety plan and quality control (HACCP)• Strategic planning and financing• Sales and accounting• PR and marketing• Conflict management / resolution• …

Capture zone/ well

Treatment

plant

reservoir

mains/distribution network

Outlook: challenges for the Swiss water supply sector

• Adaptation to climate change

• Regional planning and cooperation, water security

• Protection of water supply resources from pollution

• Professionalisation of water sector, structural and organisational changes

• Sustainable financing and governance of water supply by communities

• Digitalisation

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 14

«Added Value» for members

• Standards and best practice (“anerkannte Regeln der Technik”)

• Vocational training

• News, exchange and networking

• Awards

• Audits, Control,

• Certification of products

• Networking between practitioners, consultants, industry and state government of different levels

• Lobbying

• Public consultation

• PR und media

• insurances

• Occupational health and safety training

www.svgw.ch/mehrwert

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 15

Regional pattern of pesticides in groundwater e.g. Chloridazon (BAFU → NAQUA)

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW) 16

Chloridazon: regional concentration pattern for main substance and metabolites

Sugar beet /fodder beet:

Pesticides in drinking water in Switzerland

17

70%of groundwater sampling sites with main land use farmland show concentration of pesticidesor metabolites > 0.1 µg/L

Atrazine detected in many water samples > 0.1 µg/L (was banned 2007 in CH)

New substances detected, e.g. Chlorothalonil

Unknown impact of cocktail of pesticides in ground- and drinking water

Consumer and water utilities don’t want pesticides to be in drinking water!

Currently two relevant political initiatives for drinking water

«Drinking water initiative (TWI)»

«Initiative for pesticide ban»

Basiswissen Wasserversorgung 18

Public Consultation on

Agriculture policy AP22+

Vote on TWI and Pesticide ban initiative

Agriculture policy AP22+

defined

March 2019 20.6.2019 end 20202018 prob. May 2020

Parliament: counter project for initiatives:

yes or no?

SVGW & international context

Schweizerischer Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (SVGW) 19

Public consultation: e.g. ChemRRV

Virtual Water

André Olschewski, SVGW

a.olschewski@svgw.ch

Trinkwasserverband SVGWGrütlistrasse 44Postfach 21108027 ZürichTel:+41 44 288 33 33

KEEP GROUND WATER CLEAN FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER IN FUTURE