Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier

Organisation

As a regional water authority in the Netherlands, Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier is a government organisation. Our board is democratically chosen and we have our own tax system. Our administrative organisation is comparable to a city council. Every four years a new managing board is elected by eligible voters.

Tasks

We have 3 main tasks. First of all we ensure that the inhabitants of Hollands Noorderkwartier are safe in spite of living below sea level. We keep water securely behind solid dunes and dykes and channel excess water in the right direction. Secondly, we manage the water levels in our area and we build water storage structures and facilities in our effort to prevent water issues. Thirdly, we operate fifteen sewage treatment plants in our region that filter around a hundred cubic meters of wastewater annually. This water returns as surface water, clean enough for people, nature, agriculture and horticulture to use.

International cooperation

Together with our partners, in particularly the Dutch water authorities (https://www.uvw.nl/thema/internationaal/dutch-water-authorities/), we participate in international projects. In general these projects are part of the so called Blue Deal (https://www.uvw.nl/thema/internationaal/blue-deal/). We are also interested in hosting visiting delegates from all over the world to have a learning experience from each other about water management.