Groundwater quality in the Netherlands is under pressure, which has significant implications for the quality of drinking water. Groundwater is a vital source of drinking water—in the Netherlands, 60% of drinking water is derived from groundwater. At the same time, the country faces significant urbanization and a pressing need for an agricultural transition. Urbanization and agricultural practices place increasing pressure on rural areas, while concurrently contributing to the deterioration of groundwater quality.

The purpose of this research is to give insight in possible spatial considerations of safeguarding groundwater quality, used for drinking water. It also aims to provide research-based argumentations for specific spatial choices and to create an integrated future perspective for the rural areas in the province of Utrecht regarding groundwater quality. This thesis adresses the research question: “How could the groundwater quality at groundwater abstractions, for public drinking water, be spatially safeguarded in the rural areas of the province of Utrecht by 2050, by applying integrated solutions for both groundwater quality, agriculture and as well as urbanization?”

This graduation research explores integrated solutions for groundwater quality, agriculture, and urbanization through the application of the ‘pattern language’ method. By formulating four scenarios, future perspectives were developed for case area the Kromme Rijnstreek, each presenting a distinct set of solutions. In doing so, multiple approaches to safeguard groundwater quality are proposed.

The research identified sweet water storage in rural areas as a key solution. Additionally, buffer zones, groundwater friendly agriculture, agroforestry, and collaboration in circular water management emerged as important strategies for securing groundwater quality. Finally, the study demonstrated that the Pattern Language method is an effective tool for initiating a content-oriented dialogue among professionals from various disciplinary backgrounds.

The Netherlands faces a growing challenge: the escalation of nitrogen pollution, closely tied to the expansive dairy and animal husbandry industry in the country. As a predominantly dairy-based culture, the dairy industry plays a significant role in the economy, contributing to an 8% trade surplus. Dairy farms occupy 30% of the Dutch land surface, producing 14 billion kilograms of milk per year, resulting in a highly efficient industry. However, at the expense of a degraded landscape and the escalating nitrogen crisis.

This project aims to explore the future of the dairy industry by creating a shift from the current monoculture and centralized dairy chain to a more local and self-restoring model. Recognizing the polder as a crucial spatial element of grasslands in the Netherlands, we view it as a fundamental unit for enhancing dairy industrial efficiency.

Our goal is to instill stewardship of the exhausted landscape, transforming polder typologies into regenerative ecosystems. Our focus is on the regions of SW Friesland, where the concentration of cows and nitrogen issues intersects with Natura-2000 areas. Our methodology aligns with the Netherlands’ aspirations to foster a more biodiverse and multifunctional landscape by proposing a strategic plan for implementation of a green network and polyculture polders keeping in mind the social as well as physical transformations of the landscape. Cooperative systems organized around polder typologies serve as a framework for comprehending new social and economic configurations. A larger organizational structure in which polders co-operate is implemented to redistribute trade and production.

Ultimately, our project aims to establish a new localized, decentral dairy system alongside a toolbox of multifunctional polder-cooperation mosaics. These steps are designed to reduce nitrogen emission and loss, contributing to the overall sustainability and resilience of the dairy industry in the Netherlands.