Campaign on Substance Use in Pets and Gardens Launched
On Tuesday, April 28, the campaign “Take Care of Your Pet and Garden, and Protect Nature” was launched in the municipalities of Heemskerk and Uitgeest. The goal of the campaign is to raise residents’ awareness of how they use products on their dogs or cats and how they use products in their gardens. Many people are unaware that these toxic substances can end up in ditch water. By making small changes in behaviour , surface water behaviour better protected, and we work together to ensure healthy water.
Flea treatments contain toxins, some of which end up in our surface water unintentionally. This happens indirectly, for example, when dogs swim or when hair is left in the outdoors after brushing. Or it can enter the sewer system, for example, when a pet is bathed.
Using resources more responsibly
Water Board Member Jos Beemsterboer, responsible for integrated water management in rural areas: “We frequently encounter these toxins in water quality measurements, often in concentrations that are too high. Take the substance imidacloprid, for example, which has been banned in agriculture as a pesticide for some time now. Many residents are unaware that these types of substances are also used in consumer products. We want to change that with this campaign. Only if everyone—the water board, other government agencies, agriculture, industry, and residents—does their part can we improve water quality.”
Citizen Survey
One component of the campaign is a public survey to determine which substances pets carry on their bodies, for example through the use of flea control products. These substances can end up in surface water via hair and dust. By gaining a better understanding of this, we can work more effectively toward clean surface water for people, animals, and nature. Residents of Heemskerk and Uitgeest who own a dog or cat can sign up for this free study through the “Check Your Pet” page until May 17, 2026. This involves submitting a hair sample.
Pilot Project in the Uitgeester and Heemskerkerbroek Polder
On February 22, 2023, HHNK, the municipalities of Heemskerk and Uitgeest, the province of North Holland, the KAVB, LTO, Glastuinbouw Nederland, Landschap Noord-Holland, and PWN signed a letter of intent to collaborate on ensuring clean surface water in the Uitgeester and Heemskerkerbroek polders. This resulted in a package of measures, some of which have been implemented or are currently being implemented. For example, space for water, recreation, and ecology has been created in the “Watertuinen van Heemskerk,” and a water retention area with a purification function is being built in the Heemskerkerduin. There are also ambitious plans for an ecological corridor from Heemskerk toward Uitgeest and for the redevelopment of a park with greater connectivity and a water experience in the centre Heemskerk. In addition, the agricultural sector is taking steps—based on water quality analyses and knowledge gained from masterclasses and knowledge groups—to implement measures within its own operational processes to limit the emission of nutrients and crop protection products. Finally, farmers and land managers have begun maintaining their ditches to provide more space for ecological development within the water system. For more information, see the Uitgeester- and Heemskerkerbroek Pilot page.
