WATER IN FIGURES
2022 DENMARK
EXTENDED EDITION
IWA WORLD WATER
CONGRESS &
EXHIBITION 2022
STATISTICS &
BENCHMARKING
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 DENMARK EXTENDED EDITION IWA WORLD WATER CONGRESS & EXHIBITION 2022 STATISTICS & BENCHMARKING
EDITORIAL TEXT: CARL-EMIL LARSEN/ PHOTO: DANVA Welcome to Denmark T he Danish water sector is a natural mainstay in society. The key figures from the water companies presented in Water in Figures, 2022 places Danish water solutions in a leading position on a global scale. This will be on expo at
WATER PRICE Half a litre of drinking water from the tap costs 0.50 cent How much does your water cost? On DANVA's website, you will find an interactive map Water prices on the Map of Denmark, which shows the water prices charged by the 200 largest water companies and about 100 wastewater companie
WATER CONSUMPTION Water consumption has fallen since 1987 In October 1986, the TV Avisen newscast showed pictures of Norway lobsters that had died due to lack of oxygen caused by the enormous discharge of nutrients into the aquatic environment. They became the symbol of the introduction of the firs
Selected regulations, national plans and reforms that have had an impact on the price and water consumption of a family: 1987: Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment I the plan was intended to protect the aquatic environment, both groundwater and surface water. The Action Plan for the Aquatic Env
XXX WATER PRICE Water creates attractive urban environments as seen here in the centre of Aarhus. Photo: Colourbox.dk / Mikkel Vognæs Why are there differences in the water price? The price of water depends on which water company you are affiliated with. There are more than 2,500 water utilities a
WATER PRICE XXX Water price composition The average water price can be split into the part charged by the drinking water company and the part charged by the wastewater company, plus VAT and other taxes, such as tax on piped (tap) water and wastewater tax. Out of the total water price of € 9.85 per
WATER PRICE The covered wastewater treatment plant in Hillerød blends discreetly in with its surroundings. Photo: Hillerød Forsyning, Dorte Tuladhar 8 WATER IN FIGURES 2022
WATER PRICE The UNs UNDP Development Programme recommends that no more than 3 % of the gross income of a household should be spent on clean drinking water and no more than 5 % on drinking water and wastewater. According to Statistics Denmark (FU09), the average Danish household gross income for 202
THE WATER SECTOR TEXT: JENS PLESNER, THOMAS SØRENSEN AND MADS VOLQUARTZ, DANVA / ILLUSTRATION: JTO, THOMAS SØRENSEN AND MADS VOLQUARTZ, DANVA THE DANISH WATER SECTOR All drinking water in Denmark comes from groundwater, with the exception of a small desalination plant on Christiansø. The water sec
THE WATER SECTOR Precipitation at country level1: 770 mm Average rainfall in the last 10 years2: 759 mm Total sewer network, incl. connectors3: 85,850 km Pumping stations3: 37,700 Total number of rainwater discharges1: 16,219 Total number of overflow structures from common sewer systems1: 4,222 I
THE WATER SECTOR TEXT: ANDREAS ALBERS AND BERTEL IFVERSEN, DANVA Financial regulation of the Danish water sector W ater and wastewater companies in Denmark are natural monopolies. Therefore, consumers cannot choose which water company they would like to receive drinking water from or which waste
THE WATER SECTOR Debt in the water sector is continuously growing New investments in drinking water and wastewater companies are much more likely to be financed through borrowing than was previously the case. This is a consequence of the regulation of the water sector, where politicians and authori
THE WATER SECTOR DIN Forsyning has built a new waterworks in Esbjerg. Photo: DIN Forsyning Economic development Danish water and wastewater companies are by their very nature monopolies which are regulated in order to imitate competitive conditions. The revenue of all water and wastewater companie
THE WATER SECTOR ACTUAL OPERATING COST DRINKING WATER Millions € 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 ACTUAL OPERATING COST WASTEWATER Actual operating costs shows the part of the operating costs that are used in the overall financial benchmarki
WATER PROVIDES QUALITY OF LIFE TEXT: KATRINE RINGGAARD JØRGENSEN, DANVA Denmark's holistic model is to inspire and invite the global water sector Nordic water companies are featured exceptionally well in the densely packed programme of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2022 that is waiting
WATER PROVIDES QUALITY OF LIFE Lakes, rivers, fjords and seas account for a substantial part of Denmarks area as well as Danes perception of themselves, and clean bathing water is therefore a high priority. Thus, when the harbour bath at Islands Brygge in Copenhagen opened in 2002 at the former comm
WATER PROVIDES QUALITY OF LIFE Cities are growing At present, more than half the worlds population lives in cities, and this figure is expected to grow to 70 % by 2050. This places demands on the way we want to develop our cities in and requires acute action and global cooperation. Låsby Sea Park
In Denmark, all drinking water can be tapped and consumed directly from the tap, which is regarded as a matter of course by Danes. To raise the availability of drinking water, water companies in several major Danish cities have opted to establish publicly available drinking fountains. VCS Syd and th
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER DRINKING WATER COMPANIES in DANVA Benchmarking and Statistics In 2022, 77 drinking water companies reported data to DANVA Benchmarking and Statistics. Together, the companies have more than 1,899 water abstraction wells, comprising 153 source sites, 253 waterworks and 32
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER DRINKING WATER ACTUAL OPERATING COSTS, 2021 % imported water 0 Population density and the condition, size and age of water pipes are some of the factors that cause operating costs to vary a lot between utilities. Photo: DIN Forsyning quite a bit from one year to anothe
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Water loss in Denmark is low Danish drinking water companies are characterised by keeping good track of their water losses, which are generally maintained at a very low level compared with the surrounding world. Two measures have had a major impact on the Danish water in
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER NON-REVENUE WATER (WATER LOSS), 2021 Specific water loss, m3/km/day Drinking water companies use sonic equipment in pursuit of leaks. Photo: EWII Water loss of drinking water companies Drinking water companies' calculation of water loss, also known as non-registered co
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 Large volumes of drinking water are lost across Europe Sustainable drinking water management requires a change of attitude and a great deal of work. The problem needs to be taken seriously It is not uncommon to see a water loss in excess of 30 % and, in individual cases, all
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) SHARE OF REMOTE METER READING 2013 Real water loss can be more accurately calculated and compared through the calculation of the Infrastructure Leak Index (ILI). This is an international water loss performance indicator developed by t
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 TEXT AND PHOTO: MADS VOLQUARTZ, DANVA Smart meters warn you when the water loss is high and save customers millions Both the water company and the customers in Brønderslev in North Jutland are happy with the security provided by the new, digital water meters. The frequentl
TEXT: PETER NORDAHN, VERDO WATER IN FIGURES 2022 The green areas in the figure indicate that the water loss in the respective sections is less than 5 %. It is below 7.5 % in the yellow ones, and if the colour changes to red, the water loss exceeds 7.5 %. Over time, the meters could help find the
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Security of supply and availability When it comes to security of supply, one of the most important goals of drinking water companies is to make sure that there is always water coming out of the tap at the consumers, that it is always clean and that its quality is top not
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Bursts in the distribution network Bursts may occur over the entire pipe network from the waterworks to the customer's water meter. Most of the pipe network that belongs to the water company is referred to as mains and supply pipes and communication pipes. The last few m
Moving pipes is costly BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Water companies rerouted pipes for more than € 340 mio. 2020, as indicated by a survey conducted by DANVA. The water sector wants the Danish Planning Act to take into account the placement of the companies pipes by means of better long-term planni
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER Tests to determine drinking water quality MICROBIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY ANALYSES, 2021 Number of corrected microbiological incidents per 1 million m3 water, which responsibilities can be related to the watercompany 0 Making sure that the water quality is good is one o
BENCHMARKING DRINKING WATER The drinking water companies' NET- AND GROSS ENERGY FOR energy statements WATER COMPANIES, 2021 Most of the energy used by the drinking water companies consists of power that is used to pump water up out of boreholes, across the waterworks and then out to the users. The
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 Because Denmarks drinking water supply is based solely on groundwater, this places high demands for water protection against pesticides and other environmentally hazardous substances. Photo: Jesper Blæsild WATER IN FIGURES 2022 33
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS TEXT: KATRINE RINGGAARD JØRGENSEN, DANVA / GRAPHICS: JTO New study: THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS have brought changes to Danish water companies According to a new survey, the UN Sustainable Development Goals have really moved in to the engine room at Danish wa
Do you have a certification within the Sustainable Development Goals? Yes 5.6 % Are you working with the Sustainable Development Goals as part of your commpany management systems? not just the Executive Board, but also project managers that must make sustainable choices Yes 38.9 % daily, e.g.,
THE WATER SECTOR Energy and climate neutrality of the water sector by 2030 It was a historic moment in 2015 when the UN's 195 member states signed the Paris Agreement, thereby undertaking to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and counter global warming. Under the agreement, each country made a leg
THE WATER SECTOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT OVERALL LEVEL PURCHASED ELECTRICITY INTERNAL ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY SOLD PURCHASED HEAT /ENERGY INTERNAL HEAT/ENERGY HEAT SOLD /ENERGY EXTERNAL BIOMASS EXTERNAL HEAT A wastewater treatment plants energy flows. Drinking water and the pipe network shar
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER Wastewater companies in DANVA Benchmarking and Statistics In 2022, 91 wastewater companies reported data to DANVA Benchmarking and Statistics. The reported figures are for 2021. Together, the companies provide services to approximately 5.39 million people and operate 449 tre
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER XXX High variation in actual operating costs It costs an average of € 1.53 to transport and treat 1 m3 of water sold. The variation between expenses per m3 of individual companies is relatively substantial and reflects the very different framework conditions under which the
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER Companies sewer network The sewer network guides wastewater from the citizens to the wastewater treatment plant. Historically, sewer networks were built with only one line, where wastewater and rainwater flowed through the same pipe. Later, the design changed to separate sew
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER TEXT: MIRIAM FEILBERG, DANVA PHOTO: BLUEKOLDING Development towards separate sewage systems RATE OF RENEWAL OF SEWER PIPES, 2021 There is a very substantial difference in the extent of separate sewer systems among the benchmarked wastewater companies. Some companies have
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 Wastewater companies discharges to the aquatic environment The overriding task of wastewater companies is to guide the wastewater away from consumers across the sewer network and into the wastewater treatment plant, where the water is purified until it discharges into a stream
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 XXX Gudenåen, Denmarks longest river, at Brestenbro. Photo: Colourbox.dk / Mic vironment preventing the water from being pushed back up into residents' basements or toilets. Once the heavy rain starts, the first flush, which is the water that contains the most wastewater, flo
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 Calculation of discharges to the aquatic environment Discharges from treatment plants Initiated by the Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment I in 1987, a major upgrade and conversion of wastewater treatment plants in Denmark was launched to improve the treatment of nitrogen
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 Climate adaptation made by Aarhus Vand along the street Risvangen. Photo: Ole Hartmann Overflow Combined Sewer (water containing sewage) Year Discharge points Nitrogen Phos- Org. Subphorus stance, BI5 Number tonnes tonnes tonnes Water amount Avg. rainfall 1,000 m3 et
WATER IN FIGURES 2022 TEXT: REGNER HANSEN, JOURNALIST / PHOTO: JESPER BLÆSILD Holistic climate adaptation provides better solutions at a lower cost These are the experiences from Denmarks largest cloudburst mitigation partnership so far. The decisive challenge is to find a simple and equitable fin
THE COOPERATION MODEL FROM THE HARRESTRUP Å PROJECT Municipalities and wastewater companies Municipality. The creek will follow its natural meanders along this section of Harrestrup Å daily, whereas the water capacity will be extended in connection with downpours. A river delta will be created ins
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER Wastewater companies energy statements The energy consumption of wastewater companies is split into gross and net energy consumption on the transport network and the companys total number of wastewater treatment plants. The reason for this is to produce appropriate comparabl
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER Electricity consumption for treating waste water Wastewater companies purchase, on average, electricity equivalent to 1,38 kWh/m3 of water sold to customer, split between 0.34 kWh for transport to the treatment plant and 1.05 kWh for treatment. If the sold electricity produc
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER Treatment plants have widely divergent loads Inflow factor Inflow factor at a treatment plant is an expression of how much water enters the treatment plant in relation to the volume of water that is sold to the customers in the catchment area. An inflow factor of 3 means tha
BENCHMARKING WASTEWATER SLUDGE TREATMENT, Sludge treatment, 2021 2021 SLUDGE DISPOSAL, Sludge disposal, 20212021 Biogas produced per ton of dry matter, m3 0 200 400 600 800 Aalborg Vestforsyning Struer Slagelse-Kor Novafos Hør Novafos Fur Novafos Mål NFS A/S Mølleåværket Køge Hillerød BIOFOS
BENCHMARKING Sønderborg Forsynings new waterworks in Gråsten. Photo: Sønderborg Forsyning The value of benchmarking Benchmarking is a process where you measure your own performance against equivalent companies. Benchmarking is defined as a comparison between like-minded in order to find good pract
TEXT: MADS VOLQUARTZ AND NIELS KNUDSEN, DANVA / PHOTO: PROVAS BENCHMARKING NO MORE GUESSING: Model can calculate the costs of various types of water in the sewers Thanks to a detailed Excel model, the water company Provas has found out why their benchmarks look so mystic. And at the same time, th
DRINKING WATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES DRINKING WATER COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN BENCHMARKING AND STATISTICS 2022 (DATA FOR 2021) Company Residents in the utility district Total quantity of water sold (Utility company definition) Boreholes (water abstraction) Waterworks Hardness of ex
DRINKING WATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES PROCESS BENCHMARKING (OVERALL KEY FIGURES) Tariffs 2022 (Level 1) Actual operating costs for production, distribution, customer management and general administration in relation to the billed volume of water flow Operating costs related to production, i
DRINKING WATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES DRINKING WATER COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN BENCHMARKING AND STATISTICS 2022 (DATA FOR 2021) Company Residents in the utility district Total quantity of water sold (Utility company definition) Boreholes (water abstraction) Waterworks Hardness of ex
DRINKING WATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES PROCESS BENCHMARKING (OVERALL KEY FIGURES) Tariffs 2022 (Level 1) Actual operating costs for production, distribution, customer management and general administration in relation to the billed volume of water flow Operating costs related to production, i
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES WASTEWATER COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN BENCHMARKING AND STATISTICS 2022 (DATA FOR 2021) Company BASIC DATA Residents in the utility district Sewer pipes (wastewater and stormwater) Billed amount of water (Utility company definition) Treatment plant ov
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES PROCESS BENCHMARKING (OVERALL KEY FIGURES) Actual operating costs for transport, treatment and customer management in terms of volume of water billed Operating costs related to transport in relation to the amount of water billed in the sewer system's catchme
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES WASTEWATER COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN BENCHMARKING AND STATISTICS 2022 (DATA FOR 2021) Company BASIC DATA Residents in the utility district Sewer pipes (wastewater and stormwater) Billed amount of water (Utility company definition) Treatment plant ov
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES PROCESS BENCHMARKING (OVERALL KEY FIGURES) Actual operating costs for transport, treatment and customer management in terms of volume of water billed Operating costs related to transport in relation to the amount of water billed in the sewer system's catchme
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES TEXT: XXX /PHOTO: XXXX WASTEWATER COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN BENCHMARKING AND STATISTICS 2022 (DATA FOR 2021) Company BASIC DATA Residents in the utility district Sewer pipes (wastewater and stormwater) Billed amount of water (Utility company definiti
WASTEWATER: BASIC DATA AND KEY FIGURES PROCESS BENCHMARKING (OVERALL KEY FIGURES) Actual operating costs for transport, treatment and customer management in terms of volume of water billed Operating costs related to transport in relation to the amount of water billed in the sewer system's catchme
Information Water in Figures is published by: DANVA, Godthåbsvej 83, DK-8660 Skanderborg E-mail: danva@danva.dk. Tel.: +45 7021 0055. September 2022. Water in Figures 2022 is available for purchase in a hard-copy paper version. Contact DANVA for further details. Water in Figures 2022 can be read ele