Water levels peaked last night; now falling

High water levels cause local flooding

Due to the large amount of rain in recent weeks, the soil is saturated. Last night, water levels peaked in many places in our area. The high water levels are causing local flooding. Our pumping stations are working flat out to drain the water where necessary. This may take some time, partly because of the drainage of water from the Drenthe part of our area. This flows via De Onlanden and the Leekstermeer to the Lauwersmeer. Where possible, we are distributing the water across our entire drainage basin to protect vulnerable areas. The Lettelberterpetten and Lettelberterberg floodplains near the Leekstermeer have also been used to temporarily collect the excess water.

Sandbags have been placed where necessary.

Where necessary, we provide extra protection to limit the inconvenience. This is necessary at the campsite on Leekstermeer, where extra sandbags are being placed because the water level on this lake has risen slightly. To prevent the water level from rising further, we are temporarily maintaining a higher level in certain places. This slows down the flow of water to Leekstermeer and allows the De Waterwolf pumping station to properly drain the excess water from the lake. This is also why we closed the valve at Schouwerzijl yesterday. In this way, we are relieving the supply from the northern part to De Waterwolf. This creates more space to drain water from Drenthe and the Westerkwartier to De Waterwolf. The water from the northern part is drained via the HD Louwes pumping station. 

Hoornse Dijk partially excavated due to gas leak

The toe of the Hoornse dike near the Hoornseplas has been partially excavated due to a gas leak. This has been detected and repaired by the relevant authorities. We are closely monitoring the situation on site. The dike has now been repaired. 

Forecast for the coming days

Friday will be another day with precipitation. After that, drier weather is on the way. With good drainage moments at sea in prospect, water levels are expected to continue to fall. This may take some time, partly due to the discharge of water from Drenthe. In some places, the water level may remain the same before the decline really sets in. Our colleagues will continue to inspect dikes and flood defenses, and we will remain extra alert. The use of water storage facilities is not necessary, as water safety is not at risk.