Water Board Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden is one of the 27 Water Boards in the Netherlands.
Much of our country (34,000 square kilometres) consists of artificial land created by man. The many dykes, locks, pumping stations, flood barriers, canals and ditches keep it habitable. Without water barriers, more than half of the Netherlands would be under water. Local and regional water management in the Netherlands is in the hands of Water Boards. These are decentralised public authorities with defined legal responsibilities and a self-supporting financial system.
The 'mayor' of the water board is called 'dijkgraaf' (chairman). The dijkgraaf is appointed by the national government. He chairs the general board, which at the Stichtse Rijnlanden has 30 elected members. He is also part of an executive board, which has 5 members. The other 4 members of this board are appointed by the general board. The secretary-director is the head of the professional organization, which at the Stichtse Rijnlanden consists of 280 employees.
See also: organization chart
We are responsible for flood control, water quantity, water quality and treatment of urban wastewater. Operational tasks include the management of pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants, maintenance of waterways and flood defence structures.
We serve most of the province of Utrecht and a small part of the province of Zuid-Holland. The area comprises 82.000 hectares in total. We have:
See also: the map.
