New Waterworks Zoutkamp

Start implementation

After years of preparation, implementation began in March 2023. Starting as a water safety project for the water board, the project has been developed into a heritage-inclusive area project.

Strukton Construction App

Would you like to receive information about this project and Strukton's current activities? Install the Strukton BouwApp using the following method:

• Download the BouwApp via the Apple Store or Google Play Store or via the QR code below.
• Install the BouwApp 
• Go to ‘Discover’ 
• Search for New Waterworks Zoutkamp
• Select the project 
• Select "Follow."
• You can then find the project under "Favorites." 

Reason for the project

The project was prompted by the'Droge Voeten 2050' (DryFeet2050) study. This study was conducted to assess the consequences of climate change and land subsidence. It revealed that the H.D. Louwes pumping station needs to be enlarged and that regional flood defenses near Zoutkamp need to be reinforced and raised.

History

In 2018 and 2019, the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority conducted an exploratory phase for the "Expansion of H.D. Louwes pumping station capacity" project. This will lead to the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp project at a later stage. During the exploratory phase, various options were examined, and in December 2019, the board decided to grant credit for the preferred option. The preferred option means that a decision has been made to build a new pumping station near the Hunsingosluis and to restore the old lock and convert it into a lock chamber. 

Matching opportunities 

Linking opportunities are opportunities that can be implemented simultaneously with this project and can offer a win-win situation.

Within this project, together with the province of Groningen and the municipality of Het Hogeland, we examined whether the work on the pumping station and the lock could be carried out simultaneously with a number of other improvements for Zoutkamp. This led to the following activities:

Noorderzijlvest Water Authority

• New pumping station next to the Hunsingo lock, a national monument
• Restoration of the Hunsingo Lock  
• Conversion of the Hunsingo lock, a listed building, into a protective lock
• Construction of bank protection along the Hunsingo Canal between the Hunsingo lock and the current H.D. Louwes pumping station
• Old sea wall regains its function as a flood barrier
• Demolition of the current H.D. Louwes pumping station

Province of Groningen  

• Construction of a bicycle bridge over the Reitdiepsluis
• Construction of a separate bicycle path along the N388

Municipality of Het Hogeland

• Construction of mooring facilities in the Hunsingo Canal and Reitdiephaven
• Restoration of the Muralt dike revetment
• Construction of a new bridge on the existing cycle path from Zoutkamp to Vierhuizen
• Construction of a footbridge from Spuistraat to the new Hunsingo pumping station and the lock
• Construction of a bicycle path from Zoutkamp to Electra along the Reitdiep. 

Wall covering clearly visible again

On the former sea dike in Zoutkamp lies a special piece of cultural heritage. It is a concrete dike revetment in the shape of steps. This was installed around 1920, when Zoutkamp was still located by the sea. The designer of this dike revetment, engineer De Muralt, had thought that the waves would break on the steps, so that the water would not crash against the dike with such force. This idea has since been disproved.

Muralt cladding is a joint venture of the municipality of Het Hogeland. The section of Muraltdijk in Zoutkamp is the largest section that has been preserved in our country. The section of Muraltdijk is currently overgrown with grass and moss, but will soon be clearly visible again. 

Financing

The total cost of the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp project is estimated at over €64.5 million. Within the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp project, a distinction is made between the implementation of the water safety measures required by the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority and related projects by the province of Groningen and the municipality of Het Hogeland.

The water board's water safety tasks (construction of a new pumping station, restoration of the Hunsingo lock, construction of new bank protection for the Hunsingo canal, relocation of regional flood defenses, and demolition of the H.D. Louwes pumping station) are estimated to cost €50.5 million.

The 11 joint projects of the province of Groningen and the municipality of Het Hogeland have been budgeted at over €14 million. 

Zoutkamp

Zoutkamp is a former fishing village located on Lauwersmeer lake in the northwest of the province of Groningen. The first mention of the place dates back to 1418. Zoutkamp was strategically located at the mouth of the Reitdiep and Lauwerszee. During the Eighty Years' War, a Spanish garrison was stationed there. 

Zoutkamp has a rich cultural and historical history, including three historic locks in the former sea dike. In 1858, the Hunsingo Canal was dug and the Hunsingo Lock was constructed. In 1877, the Reitdiep and Lauwers were closed off and the Reitdiep Lock and Friesche Lock were built.

Until the damming of the Lauwerszee, Zoutkamp was located at the mouth of the Reitdiep and had a thriving fishing port until the 1960s. After the Lauwerszee was closed off, the fishing port was moved to Lauwersoog in 1969. The old sea dike in Zoutkamp lost its water-retaining function. 

The closure caused many activities to disappear from the village. Since then, many measures have been taken to put the village back on the map. And that has paid off. Water sports tourists in particular come to Zoutkamp. Zoutkamp is the starting point of the Hunsingo Canal, along which recreational boats can sail through the Hogeland (the so-called "Rondje om de Noord" or "Tour around the North").

About the New Waterworks Zoutkamp project

This video explains the project in more detail.

Information Center

The Noorderzijlvest Water Authority, the province of Groningen, and the municipality of Het Hogeland believe it is important that residents and businesses in Zoutkamp and other stakeholders are informed about the New Waterworks Zoutkamp.

• From the end of November 2024, the information center will only be accessible from Stationsstraat. 
• Long-term parking: During the winter period, the long-term parking lot is used as an ice rink by the Zoutkamp Ice Skating Association. 
• Every Friday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., you can visit the information center near the ice rink (next to the IJsbaanvereniging canteen, between Panserweg 8 and 9 in Zoutkamp). Here you can get more information about all aspects of the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp project, and both the water board and Strukton will be present to answer any questions.

You are very welcome to come and take a look!

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact Environmental Manager Eddi Ottens at +31 (0) 6 51403752.
 

Project information

Project Manager: Mark Pietersen
Environmental Manager Eddi Ottens

Email: gemalen@noorderzijlvest.nl