Roelf - Water Level Manager
I initially worked in maintenance, mowing waterways with a tractor. It was a great job, but when I started training to become a supervisor in green and blue space, I saw other opportunities. I was able to start working in water level management. Now I have a lot of contact with the local community, residents, farmers, and nature organizations. Should the water level be higher or lower? It's always a matter of weighing up different interests.
‘You have to be able to read the water’
The bar is set high
I love water. It is dynamic and calming at the same time. I could watch it forever. Every day. And water is important. We all need it. In my job, I want to waste as little water as possible. I set high standards for myself. A new challenge is to get more fresh water into the coastal areas. But that takes some effort; it's an art to use the pumps and pumping stations in the right way.
Sometimes, as a water level manager, you have to choose between two evils. When it is very dry, you can let the water level drop, with all the consequences that has for life in and around the water. Or you can allow lower-quality water in so that the water level remains stable.
It also happens that theoretical plans do not work in practice. In that case, the water system manager jumps into my car and we go out into the field to see what the bottlenecks are and how we can solve them. At the same time, I benefit greatly from the data analyses of the water system manager or hydrologist. They help me determine the correct water level.
‘In the Netherlands, it’s easier to become a professional soccer player than a gauge operator.’
I often joke that in the Netherlands, it's easier to become a professional soccer player than a water level manager. That's really true; we have many more paid soccer players than water level managers. It's a real specialism and a profession that you mainly learn through practical experience. Of course, you need technical knowledge and you have to be able to read maps, but it's just as much about common sense and learning by doing.
From irrigation to culvert
I live in the area and know it well. People come to me with all sorts of issues. They want a permit for irrigation or think the water level is too high or too low. My colleagues also have questions. For example, they might be working on a new dam and ask me what dimensions they should use for the culvert, a tube-shaped structure that connects bodies of water.
My job is demanding. You have to be able to read water and be stress-resistant. You have to enjoy that. But the great thing is that water never gets boring.
Will you choose water work too?
We work together to achieve the right water balance. But we believe that a good work-life balance is just as important!Withus, you can combine meaningful work with job satisfaction and good employment conditions.
