The beach at Delfzijl with the accompanying boulevard has become beautiful. Only, in good weather there are still relatively few people because it is not possible to swim at low tide. Adrie de Boer from Delfzijl comes with a solution
“We’ve never had such a beautiful summer,” says 67-year-old de Boer. “And we will probably get more beautiful ones in the future. We have a beautiful beach, there is nothing to argue with. But a good visit to the beach has two conditions: good weather and the possibility to cool off in the water. This is not possible in Delfzijl due to the tidal effect during low tide. You see that people stay away at other times as well. It has all become very beautiful, but just not beautiful enough.”
Permanent water bowl
“So much money has already been spent. Why isn’t there now to finish it all off. What we need is a permanent water trough for the beach. This can be done by building a wall of 80 to 100 centimeters high, from the Eemshotel to Groningen Seaports. It only needs to be a few tens of meters into the sea. Technically, such a wall could already be built with boulders. I inquired about that. In this way, the water is constantly refreshed, but there is always water standing at low tide.”
De Boer has already been in contact with various organisations. “Everyone I tell about it is positive about it. However, various players are involved, such as the municipality, Rijkswaterstaat, Noorderzijlvest Water Board and Natura 2000. They have to align.”
De Boer may comment on Wednesday during the committee meeting of the Eemsdelta city council. “I am really convinced that we should opt for this solution. It would also be nice if there was a point of sale for ice cream or soft drinks at the beach. In this way, Delfzijl will certainly attract many more day trippers, who may also do some shopping in the nearby center at the end of the day. That way everyone can benefit from it.”
cool breeze
De Boer is still of the generation that Delfzijl did not have its own swimming pool. „I lived in the Keerweerstraat, almost against the harbor. In the summer we always swam behind the dike. You now see with beautiful days that many people go to the Schildmeer. But if bathing water is always available here, I see that changing. If the weather is nice, I would in any case prefer to sit at the beach of Delfzijl. You always have a cool breeze here.”
last piece
De Boer has fully immersed himself in the subject. “I worked for the Akzo for 48 years and at work I always did that, getting stuck into something. I regularly brought in ideas for improvement. If I came up with something ten times, it was successful two or three times. I’m just holding on to that now. We have to get the last stretch before the beach.”