Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works)

Environmental improvement

The Noorderzijlvest Water Authority, the Groningen Provincial Executive, and Het Hogeland Council are working together to improve water and traffic safety, the economy, quality of life, and ecology in Zoutkamp and the surrounding area, and to stimulate tourism. 

Start implementation

After years of preparation, implementation began in March 2023. Starting as a water-safety project of the water authority, the project has become a heritage-inclusive regional project.

Strukton BouwApp

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

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• Go to ‘Discover’ 
• Search for Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works)
• Select the project 
• Select "Follow."
• You can then find the project under "Favourites." 

Reason for the project

The project was prompted by the 'Droge Voeten (Dry Feet) 2050' study. This study was conducted to chart the consequences of climate change and subsidence. It revealed that the H.D. Louwes pumping station needs to be expanded and that regional flood defences 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 (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works) 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 Hunsingo lock and to restore the old lock and convert it into a navigation lock. 

Linking opportunities 

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

In this project, together with the Groningen Provincial Executive and Het Hogeland Council, 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 alongside the Hunsingo lock, a listed building
• Restoration of the Hunsingo lock  
• Conversion of the Hunsingo lock, a listed building, into a navigation lock
• Construction of bank protection along the Hunsingo canal between the Hunsingo lock and the current H.D. Louwes pumping station
• Old sea dyke regains its function as flood defence
• Demolition of existing H.D. Louwes pumping station

Groningen Provincial Executive  

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

Het Hogeland Council

• Construction of mooring facilities in the Hunsingo canal and Reitdiep marina
• Restoration of the Muralt 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. 

Muralt revetment clearly visible again

The former sea dyke in Zoutkamp is home to a unique piece of cultural heritage. It is a concrete dyke revetment in the form of steps. This was built around 1920, when Zoutkamp was still located at the sea. The designer of this dyke revetment, engineer De Muralt, had thought that the waves would break on the steps, so that the water would not crash against the dyke with such force. This idea has since been disproved.

Muralt revetment is a linking opportunity of Het Hogeland Council. The section of Muralt dyke in Zoutkamp is the largest section that has been preserved in our country. The section of Muralt dyke is currently overgrown with grass and moss, but will soon be clearly visible again. 

Financing

The total cost of the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works) 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 linked projects of the Groningen provincial executive and Het Hogeland Council.

The water authority's water-safety task (construction of new pumping station, restoration of the Hunsingo lock, construction of new bank protection for the Hunsingo canal, relocation of regional flood defence, and demolition of pumping station H.D. Louwes pumping station) has been budgeted at €50.5 million.

The 11 linked projects of the Groningen Provincial Executive and Het Hogeland Council have been budgeted at over €14 million. 

Zoutkamp

Zoutkamp is a former fishing village located on lake Lauwersmeer 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 Lauwers sea. During the Eighty Years' War, a Spanish garrison was stationed there. 

Zoutkamp has a rich cultural history, including three historic locks in the former sea dyke. 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 Lauwers sea, 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 dyke 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 Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works) project

This video explains the project in more detail.

Information Centre

The Noorderzijlvest Water Authority, the Groningen provincial executive, and Het Hogeland Council believe it is important that residents and businesses in Zoutkamp and other stakeholders are informed of the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works).

• From the end of November 2024, the information centre 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 Club. 
• Every Friday morning from 9:00 to 12:00, you can visit the information centre near the ice rink (next to the Ice Staking Club canteen, between Panserweg 8 and 9 in Zoutkamp). Here you can get more information on all aspects of the Nieuwe Waterwerken Zoutkamp (Zoutkamp hydraulic-engineering works) project, and both the water authority 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 more 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

Partners - Financiers - Contractors

• Noorderzijlvest Water Authority
• Groningen Provincial Executive
• Het Hogeland Council
• Wadden Sea Fund
• National Programme Groningen
• Commission on Subsidence due to Natural Gas Extraction
• Heritage deal
• Zoutkamp Fishing Museum
• Wadden Sea region

Designers

• H+N+S++
• NEXT architects

Contractor

• Strukton Civil Engineering
• Friso Civil Engineering
• Hollandia