Markermeer water levels were historically high; Houseboats in Maastricht in trouble

The Markermeer reached a historically high water level between Hoorn and Amsterdam in recent days, according to the Hollands Noorderkwartier water board. In Maastricht, the water level in a watercourse on Stuwweg dropped so much after the closure of the emergency dam that several houseboats sunk partially or completely into the sludge on the bottom.

The Markermeer lake level reached 45 centimeters above NAP and, in some places, even higher. According to the water board, that has never happened before. The water level has been dropping since Monday evening. On Tuesday morning, it was still high but had already dropped to 31 centimeters above NAP, the Rijkswaterstaat said.

The water in the lake rose due to prolonged rain, successive high water levels on the major rivers, and few drainage options because the wind kept blowing from an unfavorable direction. The level in the IJsselmeer remained higher than in the Markermeer, meaning that no Markermeer water could be discharged to the IJsselmeer. The level of the IJsselmeer is now lower, and water can easily flow into the Wadden Sea. Rijkswaterstaat, therefore, expects that the water level of the Markermeer and also the Veluwerandmeren will drop further on Tuesday.

The dike around Marken withstood the high water peak late Monday evening well, according to the municipality of Waterland. The dike is scheduled to be strengthened, and a test section has already been constructed for this purpose. It was flooded at the weekend and is now extra secured with big bags. On Tuesday, water managers will conduct an inspection tour along the entire dike to examine safety. In Monnickendam, the quays that were flooded became very slippery due to the frost. Waterland strongly advised visitors to stay behind the posted barriers.

Rijkswaterstaat expects the wind to be strong above the Markermeer on Tuesday. Flooding in areas outside the dikes due to high waves, therefore, remains possible despite the falling lake level. The situation will improve slightly on Wednesday, the water manager said.

Maastricht

The water level in a watercourse on the Stuwweg in Maastricht has dropped so much that several houseboats have sunk partially or completely into the sludge on the bottom. Due to the closing of the emergency dam, no new water flows into the canal, while the water leaks out on the other side through a broken dam, a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat said on Monday evening.

Rijkswaterstaat will try to restore the water level in the watercourse as quickly as possible to prevent further damage to the boats. That can be done by repairing the broken dam, but only after all work on the emergency dam is completed. Although this emergency dam has now been closed, some final work is still needed, according to Rijkswaterstaat.

As soon as that is done, work will begin on temporarily closing the broken dam so that no more water can leak out of the now-created basin. “Once the broken dam has been repaired, the emergency dam can be partially breached, and the water will flow again,” a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat explained on Monday.

Rijkswaterstaat said it had tried to repair the broken dam first, but that was impossible because the current was too strong in the water, and the surrounding ground was too swampy for heavy equipment. Over the weekend, two Air Force helicopters largely closed the hole, but water continued to leak.

Residents can go to their houseboats on Tuesday to assess the damage and grab some belongings. Insurance claims experts will then examine how the boats can get off the ground safely without damaging them.

The dam that was originally supposed to hold back the water from the canal was two-thirds washed away by the heavy currents of the high water last Wednesday. That caused a houseboat to drift and collide with a bridge, which has since collapsed. Rijkswaterstaat will worry about tackling that problem later. First, the broken dam must be repaired, at least temporarily, in such a way that water can no longer leak out.