Saltwater monitoring network for the lake Lauwersmeer area
How can we ensure a better transition between freshwater and saltwater between lake Lauwersmeer and the Wadden Sea? So that ecological water quality improves and, at the same time, there remains a future for agriculture. The Board of Directors 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 lake 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 lake Lauwersmeer and the Wadden Sea
Noorderzijlvest Water Authority works together with partners, conservation organisations, and farmers to improve the connection between lake Lauwersmeer and the Wadden Sea. Annette van Velde, a board member of the water authority, says: “A more natural transition between freshwater and saltwater leads to a healthier ecosystem. This is important for fish, water quality, and biodiversity. We agree that the northern part of the lake needs to become saltier, while the southern part remains fresh for agriculture. We want to be able to monitor the salinity accurately, which is why we’re launching the monitoring network. This way, together with local partners, we’ll learn more about freshwater and saltwater 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 different locations and depths. We are also developing an online dashboard. The data will be publicly available. The water authority hopes that the measuring points will answer questions such as: what is the freshwater-saltwater distribution in the lake throughout the year? Where is the boundary between freshwater and saltwater? And what effect does the salt content have on water quality? The ultimate goal is to allow saltwater to enter the lake in a controlled manner to improve the ecological water quality.
Water safety forms basis for exploratory study
The measurement results will assist in the exploration. Until 2028, we will investigate how a more natural transition between freshwater and saltwater 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. Clevering locks. In the future, due to increased rainfall, we will need to discharge more water more frequently via lake Lauwersmeer. We will continue to guarantee this. One possibility is using a pumping station in due course.
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) committed 10 million euros to the project at the end of 2023. The 3.12 million euros is the first instalment of this amount. The PAGW is a national programme of the Ministries of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature (LVVN) and of Infrastructure and Water Management, aimed at improving ecological water quality and strengthening nature in the Netherlands’ large water bodies. The partners with whom Noorderzijlvest Water Authority collaborates within the Programmatic Approach to Large Water Bodies (PAGW) Future-Proof lake Lauwersmeer are: Rijkswaterstaat Northern Netherlands, Staatsbosbeheer (Dutch Forestry Commission), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.