Start of storm season - 1 October to 1 April
For us as water authority, storm season begins on 1 October and lasts until 1 April, as October to April is when storms and high water levels are most common. During these months, we are extra alert and keep our eye on our dykes.
As water authority, we are always alert because we are an emergency response organisation. This means that we take immediate action in the event of:
- Emergencies. Situations in which the dykes, water levels, or water quality are seriously endangered. And with that, the safety of our residents.
- High water at sea. High water at sea occurs during springtides and north or northwesterly storms.
Storm surge warning service
- Does Rijkswaterstaat expect sea levels at Delfzijl to reach NAP (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum) of +3 metres or higher? If so, the first phase of the storm surge watch will commence. Together with the people from the Hunze & Aa’s Water Authority, we will then close the dyke passages in Delfzijl. There are three of these around the port area of Delfzijl, Waterpoort, and Ruyterpoort.
- If the expected water level is NAP +3.80 metres or higher, the teams that inspect the dyke jump into action. We call this second phase full dyke surveillance.
We ensure good water management every day
Storm season or not: we ensure safe dykes and flood embankments, clean water, treated wastewater, and sufficient water all year round. We do this in a large part of Groningen, in north and central Drenthe, and in a small part of Friesland.
- With pumping stations, we pump water into and out of the area. For example, to combat droughtor high water levels. We also treat the water used by citizens and businesses.
Nearly 400,000 people live in our region of 144,000 hectares. It is an area full of challenges.
- For example, we have sea level rise to the north of our region.To deal with this, we must keep our dykes safe.
- We also have subsidence in the central part of our region. This causes the water level to rise and makes it more difficult to drain water.
- We are also experiencing increasing periods of extreme drought and precipitation.
- And we are concerned about water quality.
In short: our water authority manages a unique area. All these developments have a major impact on our work in this area.
Storm season
Storms and high water levels occur most frequently between October and May. During this period, we are ready to monitor the dykes and flood embankments.
