Start of the exploratory phase for the second Groningen-Garmerwolde pressurized pipeline system
On Tuesday afternoon, September 22, the partnership between the Groningen Water Board ( Noorderzijlvest Water Authority ) and the engineering firm Sweco was formalized. In 2026, a feasibility study will begin for a second pressure pipeline system connecting Groningen and Garmerwolde. With this project, the Groningen Water Board ( water authority ) is taking an important step toward ensuring the safe and sustainable disposal and treatment of wastewater in the future treat.
Future Challenges
Herman Beerda, executive director of the Water Management Association ( water authority), states: “Many of the wastewater treatment plants and pressure mains that make up our wastewater system today were built in the 1970s and 1980s. After decades of faithful service, we now face a new challenge: to renovate, replace, and customise to meet today’s requirements and tomorrow’s challenges.”
After the official signing of the agreement, he, along with Bas Tammes (Executive Secretary), Roeland van der Schaaf (dyke reeve), Ad Meijwaard (division director at Sweco), and Yska de Leeuw (head of Sweco’s water department), signed their names on a coupling (a section of a sewer pipe). This symbolic gesture highlights the sense of unity within the project.
Second Pressure Pipeline System Groningen-Garmerwolde
A large sewer pressure pipeline—the Damsterdiep Pipeline—runs between the Damsterdiep sewage pumping station in Groningen and the Garmerwolde wastewater treatment plant. This pressure pipeline is now nearly 50 years old and cannot be drained to inspect it for wear and weak spots. Furthermore, the pipeline is increasingly passing through urban areas due to the city’s expansion. Construction activities and the installation of new cables and pipelines are increasing the risk of damage. For this reason, the Water Management Authority of the Lower IJssel ( water authority ) will spend the next two years investigating where a second pressure pipeline system could be installed between the pumping station and the treatment plant, so that wastewater discharge remains guaranteed in the future.