- published: 03 Oct 2012
- views: 6157
Dutch water boards (Dutch: waterschappen or hoogheemraadschappen) are regional government bodies charged with managing water barriers, waterways, water levels, water quality and sewage treatment in their respective regions. These regional water authorities are among the oldest forms of local government in the Netherlands, some of them having been founded in the 13th century.
Around 26 percent of the area of the Netherlands is at or below sea level and several branches of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta run through this relatively small country. Historically there always was a good deal of coastal and river flooding. Flood control in the Netherlands is a national priority, since about two thirds of the country is vulnerable to flooding, while at the same time it is one of the most densely populated countries on Earth. Natural sand dunes and man-made dikes, dams and floodgates provide defense against storm surges from the sea. River dikes prevent flooding of land by the major rivers Rhine and Meuse, while a complicated system of drainage ditches, canals and pumping stations (historically: windmills) keep the low-lying parts dry for habitation and agriculture. Water boards are independent local government bodies responsible for maintaining this system.
Sweet and Salt: Water and the Dutch | Tracy Metz
Sailing the Dutch water ways on board MS Prinses Christina
CIrcle – Critical Infrastructures: case Waterland, The Netherlands
Flood control pumps: Renovation of a pumping station in the Dutch polder
Nereda Dinxperlo, the Netherlands
Nereda® in Dutch practice: Vroomshoop and Dinxperlo
Kitesurfing @Slufter, The Netherlands
The Netherlands: Working Windmills
Just a random day at M&M; Stand Up Paddling Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interview Jaap van Manen, Board Member at Dutch Central Bank (DNB)
Tracy Metz, co-author of Sweet and Salt: Water and the Dutch, spoke at the College of Design about the ways changing climate is challenging traditional methods of water management in the Netherlands. Metz was a Harvard Loeb Fellow in 2007 and a member of the 2008 Delta Commission, advising the government on water safety. She was previously a guest scholar at the Netherlands Institute for Spatial Research and a member of the Council for Rural Areas, the independent advisory board to the ministry of Nature and Agriculture. October 1, 2012 http://design.umn.edu Presented in partnership by the the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota College of Design, and Minneapolis Parks Foundation, with support from Meteek & Co.
Sailing aboard MS Prinses Christina from Zaandam via Amsterdam, Volendam to Hoorn the Netherlands. Including video from Amsterdam, The MS Virginia, Volendam and Hoorn, Holland Facts: wikepedia.com JayeM Productions video website http://wpvideos.jayemproductions.nl/
In January 2016, it was 100 years since several dike breaches caused a great flood in the Waterland region of The Netherlands. Water Board Hollands Noorderkwartier wanted to raise awareness for flood risk and flood impact. A flood scenario similar to the conditions in 1916 was used to analyse the effects on critical infrastructure networks and cascading effects between these networks. The Water Board wants to use the results to gain more knowledge on the interdependencies between important networks within their region and how society is dependent on them.
Flood control is an important issue for the Netherlands as the largest part of its surface area is vulnerable to flooding. Water control boards are the independent local government bodies responsible for maintaining Flood Protection Systems. In the Dutch region of Overijssel the local Water Board governs the water in the Agricultural polders. One of their refurbishment projects concerns a pumping station built in the year 1933 which has been designated as a so called municipal monument. The project started with the installation of temporary pumping equipment, consisting of three new diesel-driven pump units from BBA Pumps. During the renovation these pumps will take over from the pumping station without any loss of capacity, and as such they will guarantee the correct water level. To...
After an extensive comparison of options, Water Board Rijn en IJssel selected Nereda® for replacing their treatment facilities at Dinxperlo. The plant was implemented by Royal HaskoningDHV under a Design & Construct contract. This contract also includes the development of a water park that integrates the treatment works with attractive reed beds, ponds and greens. ^CM
In 2012, King Willem-Alexander opens the first Dutch municipal Nereda wastewater treatment plant in the town of Epe. Since then, several water boards have embraced the Nereda technology as an innovative treatment process for the wastewater they have to purify. Every water board applies the technology in its own way. The treatment plant in Vroomshoop is a hybrid plant with a buffer. The plant in Dinxperlo is a greenfield project. Both reactors have a rectangular shape and an underground piping system in contrast to the plant in Epe that consists of three round tanks with a gallery on the outside for the pipework. ^CM
300 years ago, half of what we know as The Netherlands was under water. Slowly, the former seabed was reclaimed and the Dutch went to work drying the ground with the country's leading natural resource - the wind. Over 1000 windmills, some still functioning, survive in the Netherlands today, reminding locals and tourists alike of the clever engine that powered the creation of this land. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit http://www.ricksteves.com.
Jaap van Manen is member of the non-executive board at the Dutch Central Bank (DNB), chairman of the monitoring committee for Corporate Governance Code in the Netherlands, chairman of the supervisory board at Evides, a major water utility in the Netherlands. What are the priorities in his field?