Safe Clean Sufficient Water: our work!

Many people know the water boards from the levees. But we do more. Besides maintaining and strengthening dikes, we also provide clean water and sufficient water. We purify wastewater, make sure plants and animals can live in the water and keep the water level at the right level.

Working on safe levees

We check the dikes and dunes carefully and strengthen them when necessary. For example, we are currently strengthening the Markermeer dikes between Hoorn and Amsterdam. These are not only getting stronger, the surroundings are also becoming more beautiful. A large city beach was recently completed in Hoorn. Walking and cycling paths have been constructed and space has been created for nature development. All in all, quite an operation with the most important goal: dry feet for our inhabitants!

Watch the video below in which the Captain of the Markermeer discovers why and how the Markermeer dikes are being reinforced:

Purifying sewage water

Surface water used to be an open sewer. That caused many diseases. Thanks to our sewage treatment plants, surface water has become much cleaner. So you can enjoy it more than anything else!

Dirty water from residents, businesses and from the street (after a rain) enters the sewer system through toilets, drains and manholes. 30 sewage pumping stations pump this water to our 15 sewage treatment plants. There we clean the water using bacteria. Then the cleaner water flows back into the ditch.

A stable water level in the ditch

Without our pumping stations (pumps), the many ditches would flood in no time during rainfall. We keep those same ditches level during droughts with water from the Marker and IJssel lakes. A stable water level in ditches and canals is important for the safety of our (peat) dikes, for nature, farmers, shipping and for the foundations of houses. With the help of locks, dams, pumping stations and pumps we ensure this.

Take a look at pumping station The Helsdeur:

A healthy ditch

For healthy water in ditches, waterways, canals and lakes, among other things, we construct nature-friendly banks, adjust pumping stations so fish can pass safely and dredge regularly.

If space permits, we leave more vegetation along water banks. We check that residents and businesses are not unnecessarily polluting surface water. And if that is the case, we intervene.

Our colleague Sandra shows you a nature-friendly shoreline:

Monitoring bathing water quality

In our area, we monitor the water quality of official swimming water sites.
 

Here we look mainly at bacteria and blue-green algae. There are several official swimming locations in North Holland where you can enjoy swimming outdoors. Want to know if the water at these swimming locations is safe and clean? Then check out zwemwater.nl or install the Zwemwater app.