Water board (The Netherlands)

Dutch water boards ( _nl. waterschappen or _nl. "hoogheemraadschappen") are regional government bodies in the Netherlands. A water board is charged with managing the water barriers, the waterways, the water levels, and the water quality in its region. Water boards are among the oldest forms of local government in the Netherlands, some of them having been founded in the 13th century.

Terminology

Historically, a "hoogheemraadschap" was an administrative body that covered a large region and held authority over lower "waterschappen" within its jurisdiction. [B. Dolfing, [http://books.google.nl/books?id=LugEf0Yb3OYC&pg=PA76&dq=hoogheemraadschap+gezag&ei=Va-hSLyJMI_-jgHH37j7BA&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1Z6htFwMr_pfxCSIoi8xRsdWSbRw#PPP1,M1 Vroegste ontwikkelingen in het Waterschap] , in: J.C.N. Raadschelders and Th.A.J. Toonen (Eds.), "Waterschappen in Nederland: een bestuurskundige verkenning van de institutionele ontwikkeling", Uitgeverij Verloren, Hilversum (1993), pp. 76 ff. (in Dutch)] These "hoogheemraadschappen" were responsible for protecting the land against the sea and/or for regulating the water level of the canals and lakes that the "polders" and "waterschappen" within the area pumped their excess water into. They were often created top-down by charter of the ruling Count of Holland, to ensure the common interests by means of centralization, and they were endowed with the right to make bylaws. The term "hoogheemraadschap" has later been used for large regional "waterschappen" in general. In present-day usage, the term has no legal meaning: the "Waterschapswet", the Dutch law that regulates the "waterschappen", only mentions "waterschap" [ [http://wetten.overheid.nl/cgi-bin/deeplink/law1/title=Waterschapswet Waterschapswet] (in Dutch). Accessed 2008-08-13] . A "hoogheemraadschap" is now a "waterschap" that chooses to call itself "hoogheemraadschap", either for historical reasons, when there was a pre-existing "hoogheemraadschap" that has formally merged with the lower "waterschappen" in its jurisdiction (such as the Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland [ [http://www.hhdelfland.nl/aspx/get.aspx?xdl=/views/Delfland_internet/xdl/page&ItmIdt=21350&SitIdt=2&VarIdt=1 Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland] (in Dutch) Accessed 2008-08-11] ) or when it is a merger of "waterschappen" that has assumed this title for itself (Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden ["The name "hoogheemraadschap" has been used for centuries for waterschappen along the Rhine and the Vecht" [http://www.hdsr.nl/informatie/bestuur_en/leuk_om_te_weten/what's_in_a_name What's in a name] (in Dutch)] )

Both terms can refer to the region or to the administrative body itself. When referring to the administrative body, the English translation of "waterschap" and "hoogheemraadschap" is generally "water board" or "water control board". It can be referred to as the "district water board" or "district water control board". The region is generally referred to as the "water board district" or "water control board district".

The term "water board" may be confusing in the Dutch context, as water boards in other countries are often responsible for the supply of water to the public. A "waterschap" or "hoogheemraadschap" in the Netherlands is charged with the control and management of water, not the supply of water. It is more accurate to refer to these organisations as "water control boards" and "water control board districts".

History

Around 25 percent of the Netherlands is below sea level. Three main rivers run through this relatively small country. Historically there was a good deal of flooding from both the sea and from the rivers. It has always been in the common interest to keep the water out. The ever-present threat of loss of life and land requires short lines of communication between authority and action. Therefore local bodies were best suited to deal with the threat.

This method of dealing with water control emerged in 13th century as the unpredictable water system was tamed and the land drained for agriculture. The water boards were set up to maintain the integrity of the water defenses around the polders, maintain the waterways inside a polder and control the various water levels inside and outside the polder. This early form of local government led to high level of decentralisation and communal cooperation in the Netherlands. In the 16th century, wide-spread experience with decentralized government was a factor in the formation of the Dutch Republic. The function of the water boards has basically remained unchanged to this day. As such they are the oldest democratic institutions in the country. [cite book
last = Raadschelders
first = J.C.N.
authorlink =
coauthors = Th.A.J. Toonen (eds.)
title = Waterschappen in Nederland: een bestuurskundige verkenning van de institutionele ontwikkeling ("Water boards in the Netherlands: a management inquiry into the institutional development")
publisher = Verloren b.v.
date = 1993
location = Hilversum
isbn = 90-6550-365-X]

Responsibility

Within its territory, a water board is responsible for:
* management and maintenance of water barriers: dunes, dikes, quays and levees;
* management and maintenance of waterways;
* maintenance of a proper water level in polders and waterways;
* maintenance of surface water quality through wastewater treatment.

Dutch water boards are "not" responsible for the supply of public water. They are not a utility.

Each water board has the authority to impose taxes. The central government contributes to this system by paying for the cost of constructing and maintaining the water barriers and the main waterways. The costs of water treatment are financed by a water pollution levy, which is based on the polluter pays principle.

Organisation

Water bodies hold separate elections, levy taxes and function independently from other government bodies. The structure of the water boards varies, but they all have a general administrative body, an executive board and a chairperson. The general administrative body consists of people (the "hoofdingelanden") representing the various categories of stakeholders: landholders, leaseholders, owners of buildings, companies and, since recently, all the residents as well. Importance and financial contribution are factors in determining how many representatives each category may delegate. Certain stakeholders (e.g. environmental organisations) may be given the power to appoint members. The general administrative body elects the executive board (of "hoogheemraden", councilors) from among its members. The government appoints the chairperson ("dijkgraaf", literally: "dike count") for a period of six years. The general administrative body is elected for a period of four years. Unlike municipal council elections, voters do not usually have to go to a polling station but they can vote by mail or even by telephone. (The water boards also wanted to offer voting by Internet, however, the Dutch government has determined that voting by Internet is not yet secure enough. [ [http://www.hhdelfland.nl/aspx/get.aspx?xdl=/views/Delfland_internet/xdl/page&PosIdt=1161&ItmIdt=53717&SitIdt=2&VarIdt=1 No voting by Internet] (in Dutch) Accessed 2008-08-11.] )

List of Dutch water boards

Typically, a water board’s territory is made up of one or more polders or watersheds. The territory of a water board generally covers several municipalities and may even include areas in two or more provinces. In 2006, there were 27 water boards in the Netherlands.

# Waterschap Noorderzijlvest (Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe)
# Waterschap Hunze en Aa's (Groningen and Drenthe)
# Wetterskip Fryslân (Friesland and Groningen)
# Waterschap Blija Buitendijks (Friesland)
# Waterschap Reest en Wieden (Drenthe and Overijssel)
# Waterschap Velt en Vecht (Drenthe and Overijssel)
# Waterschap Groot Salland (Overijssel)
# Waterschap Regge en Dinkel (Overijssel)
# Waterschap Zuiderzeeland (Flevoland)
# Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (North Holland)
# Hoogheemraadschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht (North Holland and Utrecht)
# Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden (Utrecht and South Holland)
# Waterschap Vallei en Eem (Utrecht and Gelderland)
# Waterschap Veluwe (Gelderland)
# Waterschap Rijn en IJssel (Gelderland)
# Waterschap Waterschap Rivierenland (Gelderland, South Holland, North Brabant and Utrecht)
# Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland (South Holland en North Holland)
# Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland (South Holland)
# Hoogheemraadschap van Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard (South Holland)
# Waterschap Hollandse Delta (South Holland)
# Waterschap Zeeuwse Eilanden (Zeeland)
# Waterschap Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland)
# Waterschap Brabantse Delta (North Brabant)
# Waterschap Aa en Maas (North Brabant)
# Waterschap De Dommel (North Brabant)
# Waterschap Peel en Maasvallei (Limburg)
# Waterschap Roer en Overmaas (Limburg)

The last two of these are managed by a regional grouping called Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg.

Unie van Waterschappen

The Unie van Waterschappen (Association of Water Boards) promotes the interests of Dutch water boards at a national and international level. All 27 water boards are members of the Association. It is especially about the safeguarding of interests with regard to the Dutch government and parliament [ [http://www.uvw.nl/engels/index.html Unie van Waterschappen] ] . The Unie van Waterschappen acts collaboratively with other appropriate bodies or institutions to pursue the Association's objectives including linking to Europe through with membership of the EUWMA, (European Union of Water Management Associations) [ [http://www.euwma.org/ European Union of Water Management Associations] ] .

ee also

*Oosterscheldekering - The Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, between the islands Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland

References