The increasing drought has not yet led to concerns and additional measures at the water boards in our province. This is evident from a tour of RTV Drenthe.
WDO Delta as well as the Noorderzijlvest and Hunze en Aa’s water boards adhere to the regular script. Additional rules, such as bans on spraying, are not yet on the agenda.
For example, Hunze en Aa’s, which mainly comprises the north and northeast of Drenthe, states that the groundwater level in the Drentsche Aa area is at a normal level. “We have started today with water supply from the IJsselmeer (…) for the rest of our area”, the water board reports. “We normally start with that in May, so that’s not special.”
This situation also applies to a greater or lesser extent to Noorderzijlvest. “Ensuring sufficient water in every season is our daily job. Long periods with a lot of precipitation and longer periods of drought are more common.” The water board can also comply with requests for irrigation. “There is sufficient water in our system. We can honor all requests”, says Noorderzijlvest, the ‘water boss’ of part of North Drenthe.
It’s not much different for WDO Delta. “We are not yet greatly affected by the drought. Spraying bans, as elsewhere in the country, are therefore not on the agenda at the moment.” Nevertheless, the water board sees that the groundwater level in their management area in Southwest Drenthe has fallen in recent months. “In that regard, the starting situation of the growing season was not favourable.”
WDOdelta therefore says it will remain alert in the coming period. “We follow the weather forecasts closely and translate what that means for our water system.” The best cure for the drought is and remains a heavy rainfall period. “Let’s hope that there will be a few nice Dutch showers in the near future. Good for the groundwater and the crops.”