Saltwater monitoring network for the Lauwersmeer area
How can we ensure a better transition between fresh and salt water between Lauwersmeer and the Wadden Sea? So that ecological water quality improves and, at the same time, there is still a future for agriculture. The general board of the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority has agreed to use €3.12 million in government subsidies for the PAGW Future-Proof Lauwersmeer project. The available funds will be used to install a saltwater monitoring network in and around Lauwersmeer. This will enable the water authority to accurately measure the salinity of the water. An exploration of how the freshwater-saltwater transition can be achieved will also be launched.
Connection between Lauwersmeer and the Wadden Sea
The Noorderzijlvest Water Authority is working with partners, nature organizations, and farmers to improve the connection between Lauwersmeer Lake and the Wadden Sea. Annette van Velde, director of the water authority, says: "A more natural transition between fresh and salt water creates a healthier natural environment. This is important for fish, water quality, and biodiversity. We agree that the northern part of the lake should become saltier, while the southern part remains fresh for agriculture. We want to be able to monitor the salinity accurately, which is why we are starting the monitoring network. This will enable us, together with our regional partners, to learn more about fresh and salt water in the area."
Measurement results are made public
The chloride monitoring network will be set up in 2025 and 2026. Monitoring points will be installed in the lake and in nature and agricultural areas. This will enable the salt content to be measured daily at various locations and depths. We are also developing an online dashboard. The data will be publicly available. The water board hopes that the measuring points will answer questions such as: what is the fresh-salt distribution in the lake throughout the year? Where is the boundary between fresh and salt water? And what effect does the salt content have on water quality? The ultimate goal is to allow controlled salt water to enter the lake in order to improve the ecological water quality.
Water safety forms basis for exploration
The measurement results will assist in the exploration. Until 2028, we will investigate how a more natural transition between fresh and salt water can be achieved and which approach is preferred by the joint parties. Water safety is a prerequisite for this approach. Excess water from Friesland, Groningen, and North Drenthe is currently discharged into the sea via the R.J. Cleveringsluizen locks. In the future, due to increased rainfall, we will need to discharge more water more frequently via the Lauwersmeer. We will continue to guarantee this. One possibility is to do this via a pumping station in the long term.
Programmatic Approach to Large Water Bodies
On behalf of the Programmatic Approach to Large Water Bodies (PAGW), the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) has pledged a contribution of €10 million to the project by the end of 2023. The €3.12 million is the first part of this amount. The PAGW is a national program of the Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature (LVVN) and Infrastructure and Water Management, with the aim of improving ecological water quality and strengthening nature in the Dutch large waterways. The partners with whom the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority is collaborating within the Programmatic Approach to Large Water Bodies (PAGW) Future-Proof Lauwersmeer are: Rijkswaterstaat North Netherlands, Staatsbosbeheer, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.