From the meeting of the Board of Directors on 28 May
Share of rate-payer categories redefined
As of 1 January 2026, a new rates system will apply to water authorities. Under the current system, rates were determined based on the economic value of rate payers' movable and immovable property. The new system focuses on the benefit principle: what interest do the various rate payers have in the work of the water authority?
This means that for certain categories of rate payers, it can be determined whether they benefit more or less from the work of the water authority. And therefore pay more or less. The outcome of study of how Noorderzijlvest intends to apply this new legislation leads to the conclusion that there will be a few differences in the cost allocation for the work of the water authority for the 'water system' task within the statutory bandwidth. With the new cost allocation, we are repairing the mechanism where ever-increasing property values mean that property owners pay more rates, whilst that trend would go down for the undeveloped category.
The water authority has a number of different categories of rate payers: residents, undeveloped (mostly owners of agricultural plots), developed (property owners), and owners of nature reserves. They each pay a portion of the total rates revenue.
From 2026, residents will pay 28% of that share (previously 30%). Property owners will pay a share of 54.45% (previously 56.6%). Owners of nature reserves will continue to pay 0.25%. The share for the undeveloped category is 17.3% (previously 13.1%).
On Wednesday, 28 May, the Board of Directors decided to approve this new cost allocation. The decision on the complete cost allocation, including the rates base for the 'treatnent' task, will be taken by the Board of Directors on 9 July. The new cost allocation will apply for at least two years, starting on 1 January 2026.
Credit for optimising balancing lake De Onlanden
The Board of Directors allocated a €15 million budget for the optimisation of balancing lake De Onlanden. This is one of the measures under the Droge Voeten (Dry Feet) 2050 project, with which the Provincial executives of Groningen and Drenthe and Noorderzijlvest Water Authority aim to prevent flooding. The optimisation means that an additional 5 million m³ of water can be stored during extreme rainfall, which helps combat climate change.
The draft project decision for the expansion of De Onlanden balancing lake was available for inspection from 19 December 2024 to 30 January 2025. The Drenth Provincial Executive is expected to make a final decision before the summer. Implementation will then commence. In anticipation of this, the Board of Directors of the water authority has made a credit of €15 million available, of which €10 million had already been reserved. The additional €5 million is for supplementary measures such as adjusting the pumping capacity of pumping stations, protecting buildings, and raising dykes, paths, and roads.
Subsidy application
In addition, Noorderzijlvest Water Authority has applied for an CAP EU grant of €1,500,293 for De Onlanden. The application is currently reviewed by the Northern Netherlands Partnership. According to the Dutch National Strategic Plan, European subsidies have to be supplemented with national and regional funds. The water authorities and the Provincial Executive of Drenthe have detailed this in an administrative agreement. As compensation, Noorderzijlvest will spend €204,600 on water management projects (DAW, Delta Plan for Agricultural Water Management) in De Onlanden and the Kop van Drenthe. The Provincial Executive of Drenthe will contribute the same amount to Agricultural Nature and Landscape Management in this area. Farmers will then receive subsidies for field margins, which helps improve water quality.
The Board of Directors of the water authority set aside €204,600 for DAW, provided the EU subsidy is granted.