De Watergroep produced 125,351,550 m³ of drinking water in 2025 but made 174,012,068 m³ available to customers. Because the utility defines water made available as its own production minus water sold plus water purchased, the gap means it bought 48,660,518 m³ more than it sold. That net intake equals about 28% of the water it supplied.
A steady dependence
Net purchases over sales came to 27.7% of water made available in 2022, 27.0% in 2023, 27.7% in 2024 and 28.0% in 2025. Own production fell from 126,806,236 m³ in 2022 to 123,902,262 m³ in 2024 before rising in 2025, when sales grew by 1.8 million m³ after an extremely dry year.
Building links and new sources
The utility now plans supply jointly with Farys, its partner in Waterunie Operator, which has run both companies' operations since January 1, 2026. In 2025 an investment decision was taken on an interconnection from Kluizen to Merendree on the Farys transmission network, the centerpiece of a joint supply strategy for West and East Flanders. In 2025, 1 km of the 13 km link was laid, and the environmental permit for the rest of the route is being prepared with Farys.
Own sources are being rebuilt at the same time. Storage basin 1 at Kluizen, which holds 6.4 billion liters, is being relined, with completion expected in 2027. The De Gavers expansion in Harelbeke was expected to enter service in autumn 2026 (last confirmed June 12, 2026). At De Ganzepoot in Nieuwpoort, De Watergroep is preparing to treat up to 12,000 m³ a day of brackish water and up to 7,200 m³ a day of seawater, but no full plant has been announced.
How the source program, the leakage targets and the new operating model with Farys fit together, and what the 2032 asset merger means for the system, are set out in the full report. The full report, Water Systems Overview: De Watergroep, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the De Watergroep Utility Snapshot.