Improving wet infrastructure North Head

What will happen?

Along the Wadden coast, the transition from salt to fresh water to the hinterland is quite abrupt. A gradual transition is important for many fish species. This concerns partly fish that migrate between the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer and partly fish that thrive better in brackish water (a combination of fresh and salt). In the Noordkop project we are solving this by creating a ca 14 ha brackish transition zone with damped tides (flow-through) in the Spuikanaal near Oostoever. This is only possible if we can properly control the amount of salt water. Among other things, too much salt water has a negative effect on agriculture, which depends on fresh water.
We do this in a number of ways: we build a pumping station at Oostoever and a saltwater barrier at Kooijsluis. Third, we are building an automatic water management system that controls both the amount of water and the salinity. In this way more salt can be admitted to the westernmost part of the Amstelmeerboezem while at the same time maintaining the fresh water supply for agriculture.
In addition, we are making it easier for fish to pass the Spuisluis Oostoever and the Stontelerkeersluis by constructing two fish passages. We are also constructing spawning and nursery areas for fish and high-water refuge areas for birds in the Amstelmeer.

Through this page, we will keep you updated on developments regarding the components of this project:

• Pumping Station
• Fish passages (East Bank and Stonteler lock).
• Fish spawning and rearing sites
• Salt barrier
• Automatic water management system
• Fish Monitoring

Webinar

On June 24, 2024, we hosted an informative webinar on the project. 

Watch webinar

The questions that were most frequently asked during the webinar and their answers can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions Webinar North Head page.

Are you curious about what fish migration looks like? We explain it below in a short animation.

Improving fish migration

Two types of fish benefit from the measures. The so-called tidal migrants: these are fish that use rising tides to enter the polder. And the migratory fish species that need a gradual fresh-salt transition to acclimatize. Examples are glass eels and three-spined sticklebacks. The brackish transition zone is also important for fish species that live year-round in the brackish transition zone. Precisely these three groups are almost completely absent at present, but are important because the survival of these fish is seriously threatened....
The area functions both as a habitat and as a passage between the Wadden Sea, the North Holland hinterland and the IJsselmeer. The measures also ensure better accessibility from the IJsselmeer to the Amstelmeer basin and the hinterland, and vice versa.
In the project we are making it easier for fish to pass the Spuisluis Oostoever and the Stontelerkeersluis by constructing two fish passages. We are also constructing spawning and nursery areas for fish and high water refuge areas for birds in the Amstelmeer.

Future-proofing Amstelmeer basin and Oostoever pumping station

The package of measures is an investment to improve fish migration. An additional effect is that we increase the future resilience of the Amstelmeerboezem. In the current situation the Amstelmeer basin drains into the Wadden Sea via the Eastern Bank sluice. This makes use of gravity; the water flows into the Wadden Sea when the water on the tidal flats is lower than in the storage basin. There is no pumping station that actively pumps out water.
At the moment there is no need for this either. In the longer term this is going to change. Rising sea levels will reduce the possibility of draining water under free fall. At the same time, the amount of water to be drained off is increasing due to more and more intense rainfall. This increases the risk of flooding or relatively brackish water from the Balgzand Canal will have to be drained into the Schermerboezem in overflow situations. This is a risk to keeping fresh water sufficiently available to prevent salinization. With the new pumping station to be built and the accompanying measures, we are responding to these future risks of flooding and salinization. The automated water management system will also provide better control possibilities, so that fresh water can be used more economically.

The pumping station will be built to the west of Spuisluis Oostoever and will have a fish passage that will allow fish to pass both ways on the wadden dike. 

Planning

The North Head project is divided into three phases: Exploration, Plan Development and Realization. The project is currently in the exploration phase. In this start-up phase, we examine the best solution for each measure; the so-called preferred alternative. Where necessary, we are conducting research.

East Bank Pumping Station is the last part of the project to be implemented. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2027. The design of the pumping station, created by architectural firm KBNG, is ready. Preparations for tendering for construction are underway. 

Permits

The water permits for the fish spawning and rearing sites and for the East Bank pumping station with fish passage have been finally granted. No views have been submitted. Currently the environmental permits (Bopa) for the pumping station with fish passage and the fish spawning area De Hoelm are being prepared. As soon as these are available for inspection we will inform you via this site.

Who do we work with?

Four parties are financing the 'Improving wet infrastructure Noordkop' project, namely the Wadden Fund, province of North Holland, Rijkswaterstaat and HHNK. Therefore, we are working intensively with these parties and coordination and justification of the projects to these financiers is crucial. Within the project there is contact with stakeholders such as the municipalities of Den Helder and Hollands Kroon, the LTO, Landschap Noord-Holland, and professional and sport fisheries.
The Noordkop project is part of Ruim Baan voor Vissen 2: a collaboration of the four northern water boards, Van Hall Larenstein and the Waddenfonds. This cooperation is aimed at improving fish migration routes and restoring the ecological relationship between Wadden Sea and the hinterland.

What policy underlies the project?

This project is being implemented as part of the Water Framework Directive 3rd planning period package of measures. This is part of the agreements made at the European level to make surface water cleaner. See the Healthy Water page.

Want to know more?

For more information about this project, please contact us via our contact form or by calling 072 582 8282.