What happened?

Last year, the water board's project team took the first steps toward strengthening the Havendijk dike. Initial discussions were held with businesses located along the dike to hear their concerns, contact was established with other authorities, and coordination was sought with the Maritime Cluster. Intensive cooperation was also initiated with the Port of Den Helder, as they have a great deal of knowledge in their capacity as managers of a large section of the dike. Furthermore, the technical team has been working hard to establish a so-called 'stable scope', so that it is clear where the dike no longer meets the standard and what 'failure mechanisms' are at play. A dike can collapse or break down in various ways, which is referred to as a failure mechanism.

The information gathered has been incorporated into an Action Plan to apply for a subsidy from the Flood Protection Program for the first phase of this project. We refer to this as the exploratory phase. The Havendijk is a primary flood defense and is being reinforced under the national Flood Protection Program (HWBP). The projects in this programme carried out by 21 water boards and Rijkswaterstaat. More information can be found at: https://www.hwbp.nl/. The Action Plan has been approved and the exploratory phase is now in full swing.

Notification of intention and participation

The Omgevingswet will come Omgevingswet force on January 1, 2024. Part of this involves publishing a 'Notice of intention and participation' in the Water Board Journal. This publication states that the water board has started a project and also indicates how the community can submit ideas, wishes, and points of attention. If you would like to submit any comments, you can do so via the environmental manager for this project, Romee Huisman. The contact details can be found at the bottom of this newsletter. The notice and the communication and participation plan can be found on ourwebsite.

Walk-in meeting

On Thursday, November 23, the Havendijk project team held the first walk-in meeting of the exploratory phase. Thanks to the Port of Den Helder, the meeting was held at the Port's office in the middle of the project area. The project team was there together with employees of the Port of Den Helder to provide explanations and answer questions. We look back on a valuable walk-in meeting. A total of 20 people attended, ranging from water sports clubs to entrepreneurs and residents. It is always interesting to hear what is going on in the area and what we as a project team need to take into account. 

Tender for exploratory phase

The exploratory phase of this project is not being carried out by the water board alone. To ensure the success of this phase, we are being supported by the TAUW and IV-Infra consortium. We previously completed a European tendering procedure, and this consortium emerged as the best in terms of value for money. The Project Start Up (PSU) took place last December, and we are now officially underway. We look forward to working together in the coming period to design this important dike reinforcement in the port area of Den Helder.