Annual Report 2021: positive result of €4.3 million

Delivering on our promises

Despite the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, Noorderzijlvest completed 73% of the activities planned in the 2021 annual plan. The year 2021 underscored the importance of realistic planning in line with available capacity and the availability of our employees. 
Starting in 2020, we began planning and prioritizing projects more realistically over time. This results in a lower investment volume. In 2021, this amounted to €41.2 million. This approach allows for a more realistic budget. The planned investments are increasingly aligned with the nature and scale of our organisation with the way we shape our collaboration with partners and the surrounding community. 

Making our region climate-resilient 

In 2021, we continued our efforts to make our region climate-resilient. 

• We did just that with the preparations for reinforcing the Lauwersmeer dike. We are carrying out this reinforcement project in an integrated manner by combining our safety objectives with three ecological linkage projects (natural transition, salt marsh, and fish migration), as well as a second access route to the harbour the harbor dike. We are doing this in the most sustainable way possible, from design through to implementation.
• The Driepolders and De Dijken-Bakkerom balancing lakes are ready and operational. The Lettelberterberg catchwater project will also be completed in 2021. The area can be used as an additional balancing lake.
• Preparatory work on the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works) in 2021. The project team has now begun realise the final design. We are doing this in the most sustainable way possible, from design through to implementation.

Every fiscal year sees changes, project delays, or later completions for a variety of reasons. The main deviations are:

• More time is needed to acquire land for the Dwarsdiep water system project in the Zuidelijk Westerkwartier.
• Work on the new Water Level Regulation Plan Lake Paterswoldsemeer was postponed; preparations have since resumed. A number of WFD measures from the second planning period will be completed in 2022. The adoption and entry into force of the new Water Level Regulation Plan upon the realisation these measures.

We need a positive result to build up our reserves

The higher net income is primarily due to savings in capital and personnel expenses, higher tax revenues, and additional contributions from third parties for the treatment of increased volumes of sludge and wastewater. Given high inflation, sharply rising construction costs, and fuel prices, we expect to have a critical need for these reserves. 

Once approved on May 26, the annual report will be available online at Policy and regulations

€1,139,000 for the implementation of measures related to bank-protection structures

In addition to approving the 2021 annual report, the Board of Directors will meet Board of Directors , May 25, to discuss a €1,139,000 loan for the implementation of measures related to bank-protection structures our region.  
The water authority responsible for maintaining water authority systems and ensuring water safety. This includes maintaining bank-protection structures riverbanks. There is currently a backlog of maintenance. Therefore, a number bank-protection structures will be bank-protection structures in 2022 and 2023. A total of €1,139,000 is required for this.

Restoration of riverbanks and sheet piling

This is happening, for example, along the Kromme Klieftocht near Ezinge, at Hoeksmeer (the nature reserve between Garrelsweer and the Eemskanaal), and along the Zeedijk near Julianapolder. We will also sheet piling damage to banks and sheet piling at a number of private sites, as we are bank-protection structures so under the bank-protection structures policy. 

Improvements to bank-protection structures needed at more locations. We intend to continue investing in safety and maintenance in the future. We will also restore riverbanks where necessary. This is partly our responsibility and partly that of others. The new policy outlining the principles of maintenance obligations will be adopted shortly. The Board of Directors discuss this on July 6. In regional processes, it is being determined step by step who will be bank-protection structure for bank-protection structure which bank-protection structure . 

The total budget for the maintenance and replacement of bank-protection structures set out in a multi-year maintenance program and submitted to the board. This is expected to take place later this year.