Filing a complaint

Are you not satisfied with our services? If so, we would like to know about it. Your complaint can be about the way we perform our tasks, but also about how you were treated by one of our employees. You can file a complaint with us in such a case.

A complaint or a report?

Complaints relate to an act or omission by (an employee or director of) the Water Board. For example, you can file a complaint if an employee has treated you unfairly or if an earlier report was not adequately responded to.

If you see something that requires the Water Board to take action, you can file a report. For example, if you see water pollution, blue-green algae or a muskrat, if there is something wrong with the water level or if maintenance is needed. Notifications thus relate to the performance of tasks by the Water Board.
See the Notifications page.

How do you file a complaint?

Online

Submit your complaint using the digital form.

Filing a complaint

By letter

Submit your complaint by letter.

Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier
Postbus 250
1700 AG Heerhugowaard

Please state clearly in your letter:

• What your complaint is about;
• Where and when it happened;
• Your name, address, phone number and e-mail address;
• the date.

Treatment of your complaint

If you file a complaint with us, an employee of the State Water Board will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your complaint.

Informal complaint handling is the starting point. We try to resolve the complaint informally, for example through telephone or kitchen table talks. If we cannot work it out together or if you wish to have a formal complaint handled, the complaint is formally handled by the Complaint Handling Team.

Formal complaint handling is regulated by law. A feature of formal complaint handling is that a hearing is held in which the complainant and the employee(s) involved are heard. The Complaint Handling Team investigates the complaint and then draws up a report. After this, our secretary-director makes a final judgment on the complaint submitted.

The law provides that certain complaints need not be considered. These include complaints for which a formal complaint procedure has previously been followed or complaints that deal with events that took place more than a year ago.

The National Ombudsman

Do you disagree with the final verdict on your complaint? Then you can turn to the National Ombudsman.

Mediation

It is also possible to use (pre)mediation to avoid a complaint procedure. See the Mediation page for this.

Annual Reports

Each year, the Complaint Team produces a report of the complaints and also makes recommendations to the organization. You can read the last five annual reports below: