Noorderzijlvest: a strong voice for water and soil in local politics

A loud voice for water and soil

The management and use of our water and soil is so self-evident that we don't give it a second thought. Or so we think. Nothing could be further from the truth. Water and soil are under severe pressure in these times of climate change:

• Space for water and soil is essential to make our living environment climate-proof and future-proof for current and future generations. 

  Where the economy, public housing, agriculture, and nature compete for priority, water and soil should have a strong voice in new spatial developments and initiatives. Water and soil give life. Without sufficient clean and healthy water and without resilient soil life, biodiversity declines and quality of life deteriorates. Water and soil will therefore be guiding principles in everything we want to develop in our municipality. Spatial developments, such as new residential areas, business parks, and new functions, should not have a negative impact on future generations or other areas. The municipality, together with the province and water boards, will work hard to promote nature-inclusive agriculture and help stimulate innovations in business operations and soil improvement.

• The laws and regulations governing clean and healthy water require increasing investments from water managers, including the municipality. 

  The municipality is responsible for collecting wastewater from households and businesses. This wastewater is transported via the sewer system to the water boards for treatment. The municipality will contribute more to cleaner and healthier water by separating rainwater from wastewater from households and businesses: the less the wastewater mixes with rainwater, the better and more economical the treatment process will be. We will have to prevent sewer overflows more often, for example during peak rainfall. The quality of life with cleaner and healthier water therefore also requires substantial investments underground. When replacing or constructing new sewerage systems, sufficient attention must be paid to the capacity of the (separate) sewerage system. This will make public spaces more resilient to climate change.

• The availability of sufficient fresh water is under pressure.

  We will increasingly experience summers in which there will not always be enough fresh water for all functions. A growing number of homes, more water-intensive businesses, agriculture, and nature are demanding ever-increasing amounts of water. The municipality needs a long-term perspective to be able to cope with the effects of prolonged drought. The municipality can contribute with knowledge, time, and sometimes money to enable sufficient research into the availability of fresh water and, if necessary, impose restrictive conditions on (new) water consumers within the municipality. Room for innovation with water-efficient homes and setting conditions for the design of climate-proof (residential) areas and requirements for sustainable and circular construction: this helps to limit the demand for fresh water.

• To give water and soil a voice, cooperation alone is not enough. The key lies in sharing responsibility. 

  Only by combining the knowledge, experience, and powers of water boards, provinces, and other partners in the area can the driving force of water and soil be better shaped. The municipality must act as a single authority alongside the other authorities in this regard. Water and soil are the foundation of spatial development. It is better to make use of each other's powers than to act solely as 'the competent authority'. We must bear joint responsibility for water and soil.

  Our building blocks for sustainable collaboration on water and soil are outlined in the results of our own research, 'Water and soil as guiding principles': Give water and soil a voice!