Waterway management and obstructions

We manage waterways: clean, safe, and deep and wide enough. The boating season starts on May 1 and lasts until October 1. During the boating season, there areextended operating hours on the waterways to give recreation more space. We will keep you informed of any obstructions.

Current closures

  • Up-to-date information about closures for waterway and road traffic and changes to operating times for bridges and locks in our working area.
  • vaarweginformatie.nl This website provides information about the availability of the waterway.

Maximum speed

There is a single maximum speed limit on all our waterways: 6 kilometers per hour.

Bridges, locks, and operating hours

There are two ways to open and close the bridges:

  • The bridge operator operates the bridge. You can find out when the bridge operator opens and closes the bridge between May 1 and October 1 on the website of the province of Groningen:www.provinciegroningen.nl/varen-in-groningen
  • You operate the bridge yourself. You can open and close many bridges and locks yourself until 8:00 p.m. You will find instructions at those bridges and locks.

Sailing routes

The water board does not provide up-to-date information about sailing routes. More information about sailing routes in our working area:

General information for recreational boaters in our working area

What does our waterway management consist of?

Recreational boating on the Winsumerdiep
Boat on the Winsumerdiep

The water board is responsible for:

  • sufficient depth and width of our waterways;
  • clean waterways. For example, we remove aquatic plants and sunken objects;
  • safe waterways so that, for example, when work is being carried out on a waterway, the skipper can see everything clearly;
  • enough space for boats to pass under bridges;
  • information about delays. For example, if a waterway is inaccessible for a period of time;
  • Clear signs and traffic signs: do you see something that is incorrect or missing? Please report it.