Water as Leverage - Wadden Sea Region

Water as Leverage for Climate Adaptation: Wadden Sea Region
LOCAL DRINKING WATER
PRODUCTION
Fanø is one of the only Wadden islands
that can still produce its own drinking
water. The central dune massif southeast
of Rindby is the main source and
reserve area exploited by the public
limited company Fanø Vand A/S
according to the water supply plan of
the municipality. Fanø Vand extracts
ground water from a depth of 40
meters and pumps the water to three
separate pipeline networks, owned by
Fanø Vand, Fanø Vesterhavsbad and
the cooperative Rindby Vand. Due to
the recent reduction of the allowed
PFAS treshold in drinking water by the
European Union, the local water turned
out to contain too much PFAS. An
ion exchange plant was added to the
water treatment plant of FanøVand this
year to achieve the reduction of PFAS.
Sewage water is handled through a
sewage system or through seepage.
Sewage water from the different areas
is gathered at the main pump station
in Nordby and pumped through a
pipeline to Esbjerg to be cleansed.
The protection of the dune massif will
remain essential in the long term so
that, like a number of other islands in
the Wadden Sea, Fanø does not have
to rely on an infrastructural connection
with the mainland.
SALTY MEADOWS
With its open landscape prone to
strong winds and nutrient-poor
soils on its heaths, beaches and
dunes, Fanø has always faced harsh
conditions, the extremes of which
will only increase under the influence
of climate change. Recent periods
of drought already resulted in low
levels of water in the meadows in
springtime. Endangered bird species
breeding there are dependent on these
conditions to secure sufficient fodder
for their offspring. In summer, species
like heather (hedelyng) are especially
under threat. Farming takes up about
18% of Fanø’s surface area and is
predominantly extensive. As there are
no pig farms or biogas plants on the
island, the majority of livestock is cattle
for meat production. The large salt
meadows are mainly used for grazing,
while fields a little bit higher up yield
the cultivation of spring barley and
potatoes. As large areas are frequently
flooded, these fields are not part of a
rotation scheme, though to prevent
subsequent drought, many drainage
ditches have been closed in recent
years. Rise in the sea level, however,
is considered a threat to the salt
meadows. This becomes an issue for
the farmers if their cattle cannot graze
in the area as frequently as today. It
could also be an opportunity, as more
extensive grazing in areas that are not
being grazed today can counteract
unwanted overgrowth of the meadow
into a boggy landscape. Appropriate
farm management can be instrumental
in maintaining Fanø’s fragile flora and
fauna in a dynamic manner.
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Fanø