Water boards across the country busy pumping to get rid of water after heavy rainfall

Due to Friday's heavy rainfall, water boards in parts of the country are busy draining the water. Several locks are also closed because safety cannot be guaranteed due to the high water levels. That was also the case in May. At that time, water board chairman Erik de Ridder said there were frustrations among people with water around and in their homes.

The high water even creates a grim atmosphere in some places in the Brabant Dommel area. This was also the case in May. At the time, Water Governor Erik de Ridder said there was frustration among the people with the water around and in their homes.

The De Dommel water board has noticed a rise in the water level in almost the entire area since Friday, although it has since dropped again. Employees are doing everything they can to drain the rainwater as quickly as possible. Therefore, the authority asks for "understanding and respect for our employees."

Regen, regen en nog eens regen!🌧Deze week viel het met bakken uit de lucht☔ Onze collega’s doen wat ze kunnen. Veel stuwen staan laag⬇️, maar de waterpeilen blijven hoog⬆️. Dit weekend blijven medewerkers stand-by voor extra controles. pic.twitter.com/zCp5FpmyGh

— Waterschap De Dommel (@wddommel) July 12, 2024

In the area of ​​the Hunze en Aa's water board, including Groningen and Drenthe, it is "pouring down with rain." Between 40 and 70 millimeters of water fell in the area on Friday and Saturday. The water board expects it will take a few days for the water level to return to normal. The water board stated it is busy trying to get rid of all the excess water. "Our water level managers are all working hard to ensure that the dams and pumping stations continue to do their work properly. At Delfzijl and Nieuwe Statenzijl, there is currently plenty of drainage."

Gisteren is er in ons gebied tussen de 40 en 70 mm neerslag gevallen. Dit heeft geleid tot verhoogde waterstanden en plaatselijk wateroverlast. We zijn druk bezig om al het water af te voeren naar zee. Het duurt zeker een paar dagen voordat de peilen weer normaal zijn. pic.twitter.com/jYdwJWquK1

— Waterschap H&A (@hunzeenaas) July 13, 2024

According to the water board, there are large puddles in the countryside throughout the region. Due to the recent heavy rainfall, the soil is already saturated and can no longer absorb much water. The water board warned that it would be quite some time before all the water was gone.

The Noorderzijlvest water board, which operates in parts of Groningen, Friesland, and Drenthe, uses additional pumps to remove all the water. The pumps in Garmerwolde had already been installed during the renovation of the De Drie Delfzijlen pumping station, but have now been reinstalled. These pumps transport the water from the Damsterdiep to the Eemskanaal.

In Overijssel, the Vechtstromen water board has temporarily closed the locks on the Vecht. The water level in the Vecht was already high due to the past wet months, and the rainfall on Friday has increased it even further. "Due to the high water level, safety cannot be guaranteed when the locks are closed," the water board announced. The locks will be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.

Door de enorme neerslag van de afgelopen 24 uur is de waterstand op de Vecht erg hoog. Hierdoor zijn de sluizen op de Vecht, tussen Ommen en de Haandrik gestremd. De veiligheid bij het schutten van de sluizen kan niet worden gegarandeerd.https://t.co/SVOqWnyqSb pic.twitter.com/qrfyljopen

— Vechtstromen (@Vechtstromen) July 13, 2024