Maintenance and inspection of watercourses

Wider ditches: does everything have to go?

Inspection ditches must be clean. When the water authority carries out an inspection, it pays particular attention to whether vegetation has been adequately removed. We also assess the flow in the inspection ditch and whether the ditch’s storage capacity has been reduced. In 2027, the water authority will assess whether certain criteria for cleaning an inspection ditch can b e amended. If you have question about this matter, please  contact the  water authority.

Annual inspection in November

• In October, we complete the inspection list for the current year. It includes approximately 1,300 kilometres of ditches that we will inspect to assess their condition. 
• Starting in early November, the water authority will begin conducting actual inspections 

Landowners with property bordering ditches always have a duty to maintain the ditches associated with their property. This also applies to ditches that are not shown on the inspection map. If poor maintenance causes problems with water management, the water authority can hold you accountable. We are then authorised to enforce maintenance. We can then apply an “administrative order.”

Inspection map

Our inspection map. Colours on the map Geo.noorderzijlvest.nl/schouwkaart:

• The dark blue watercourses are maitained by the water authority.
• The light blue watercourses must be maintained by the adjacent plot owners.
• The red watercourses are ditches that are maintained by adjacent plot owners and are inspected in any case (the actual inspection map).

If you are unable to read the inspection map for any reason, please let us know. Please send an email to: schouw@noorderzijlvest.nl.

Geo.noorderzijlvest.nl/schouwkaart

Who is responsible for maintaining the ditch?

The owner of the ditch is responsible for carrying out maintenance or having it carried out. If it is not entirely clear who the owner is, please note the following points:

• The records of the water authority, which specifies who is responsible for maintenance, are binding with regard to carrying out maintenance or commissioning maintenance. The principles governing this are set out in the Water-Authority Regulation (Article 2.7, paragraph 1(c), paragraphs 2 and 3, and Appendix 3):  Water-Authority Regulations 2023 | Local legislation and regulations
• We use the ownership data as recorded by the Land Registry. Chapter 5, Appendix 3 of the “ Water-authority Regulation ” (see link above) specifies who is responsible for maintenance in each situation. Over time, plots, and therefore watercourses, have changed hands. It is possible that a new ownership situation has not been reported automatically to the Land Registry. You can take action yourself by contacting the Land Registry.
• The maintenance of a ditch is often a shared responsibility between the adjacent owners. Both are subject to the duty of maintenance. Parties who are designated as responsible for carrying out maintenance are expected to reach agreements between themselves about how the maintenance will be carried out. The water authority is not involved in this.
• It is common for the local council to clean the entire ditch along its own land. If the inspection reveals that the ditch is not yet clean, both owners - including the local council as road administrator - will receive a letter about this. In this case, maintenance is also a joint responsibility.
• You must keep the sloping embankment along a road or ditch on your own side of the property free of vegetation. This also applies to any culvert or bridge in the driveway to your own property. Here too, the flow must be good.
• In addition to native flora and fauna, there are also invasive aquatic plants that are not native to the Netherlands and cause problems. Species such as floating pennywort must be removed carefully to prevent further spreading. For more information on control and identification, see: Invasive Exotics | NVWA (Dutch only).

Inspection has been carried out, but maintenance has not yet been performed.

It is possible that our inspection was carried out before the maintenance was done. At that point, the ditch was formally rejected. We will then send you a letter with that finding. In such cases, we always reassess the maintenance during a so-called re-inspection. The letter will also state the period in which we will do this.

If you need more time than we indicate in this letter, please contact us by sending an email to schouw@noorderzijlvest.nl. We can then make additional arrangements.

Enforce maintenance

If the maintenance has not been carried out after a re-inspection, you are in violation. In such a case, we can enforce the maintenance.

• We will then use an administrative order. We will announce this in a letter.
• At that point, you still have the opportunity to carry out the maintenance yourself or have it carried out.
• If you don't, the water authority will carry out the maintenance.
• The costs will then be paid by the person or persons who are subject to the duty of maintenance.
• The water authority has this power under the Regional Water Authorities Act, the Environment and Planning Act, and the General Administrative Law Act.

The amount charged in this extreme case varies depending on the situation: the General Administrative Law Act states that the costs we incur as a result of applying an administrative order will be charged. These costs include the costs of the contractor carrying out the work, plus administrative costs, and the costs of additional supervision.

How do we inspect?

Outside cities and towns, inspections are carried out from a helicopter. This is not possible in all cases. Anything that cannot be seen from the air, is inspected by car or on foot.

Inspecting by helicopter seems like an expensive method, but a large area can be inspected quickly by helicopter. That is why this method is cheaper than inspecting on foot or by car.

Rules on maintenance and maintenance obligations

The water-authority regulation includes rules about your living environment in our region:

Our water-authority regulation