Water Board (Netherlands) - Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Water boards act independently from national government to manage the continuing struggle against the water in the Netherlands. Water boards still levy their own taxes, but they no longer have power to penalize offenders. To control quality of surface water (canals, lakes, ponds and streams), water boards fulfill several tasks: policy making, planning and building projects, issuing permits (sewage discharge requires a permit) and treatment of sewage and by-products. The various municipalities within the geographic area covered by a water board are responsible for collecting sewage from households and industries, but water boards transport and treat the sewage.

In 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 water supply to the general public and are therefore not considered a utility.

In addition to taxes raised by water boards, central government contributes to their finances by paying construction and maintenance costs of water barriers and main waterways. The costs of waste water treatment are financed by a water pollution levy, which is based on the polluter pays principle.