Clean water
One of our most important tasks is treating wastewater. We do this using 15 sewage treatment plants, 1 sludge drying plant, 300 sewage pumping stations, and 610 kilometre . These facilities process more than 100 million cubic metre every year. Some of this water comes from households and businesses connected to the sewer system. The rest is rainwater that ends up in the sewer.
Purifying water
Having clean water seems perfectly normal. But purifying wastewater from the sewer system is a huge task. Every day, the 1.4 million inhabitants of Hollands Noorderkwartier produce more than 120 litre per person. In addition, another 30,000 companies discharge their wastewater into the sewer system. Every year, we collect 100 million cubic metre and treat it in sewage treatment plants.We return the treated water to surface water.
The Water Chain Department is constantly searching for innovative and individual solutions to treat wastewater in a sustainable manner, turning it into clean (surface) water. But this must be done at the lowest possible social cost to our residents.
How clean is clean?
Purified wastewater must meet strict legal requirements. For example, it must not contain too much phosphate. An excess of phosphorus causes too much algae and plant growth. When these algae and plants die, bacteria break down the dead material. They use oxygen to do this. Too much dead algae and plant matter can therefore cause an oxygen deficiency. This can also cause the remaining living plants and animals to die more quickly. Ultimately, we are left with dead water. The amount of copper, mercury, lead, and zinc in the water must also be minimal. High concentrations of heavy metals are highly toxic. We regularly analyze the treated water to check whether the surface water meets the legal requirements.
What can you do yourself?
It's great when the water in our lakes, ditches, canals, and waterways is clean. It makes swimming and boating much more enjoyable! And it's good for nature. We remove a lot of litter from the water at our pumping stations. That's why we support the silent collectors, people who clean up litter so that it doesn't end up in the ditch. You can help us prevent water pollution. Use water sparingly: don't waste or pollute it. And make sure that wipes, grease, paint residues, chemicals, and medicines don't end up in the sewer. You can find more tips on the Waterbazen page.
