You see them everywhere in Drenthe: straight watercourses that cut through the landscape. Think of the Oranjekanaal at Oranje or the Hoogeveensche Vaart at Hoogeveen. But why is one water called a ‘channel’ and the other is a ‘speed’? Are those words interchangeable, or is there really a difference?
A channel is an artificial waterway, usually with a tight, straight run. They are often laid out for shipping or for draining excess water. In Drenthe you can see this in, for example, the Oranjekanaal and the Noord-Willemskanaal. These waters were dug in the nineteenth century, often with military precision, to transport peat, agricultural products or other things. They are deep, wide and designed for functional use.
According to Rijkswaterstaat, a channel is usually part of a larger network of waterways and water management. Moreover, channels are often maintained by government agencies, which gives them a more ‘official’ character. You can see it as a planned waterway, conceived at the drawing table.
A speed is also dug, but historically the origin is often closer to local use. A speed sometimes originated from a ditch that was continued to dug out, or was constructed to connect a specific village with a larger channel. For example, in Drenthe you have the Hoogeveensche Vaart, which was created in the seventeenth century to drain peat from the peat to Hoogeveen.
Vaarten often follow the natural lines of the landscape and are less tight in shape. They can also be closer to the local history. The names of Vaarten used to refer to their function or their origins, such as the Smildervaart, which was later renamed Drentsche Hoofdvaart.
Channels are therefore always artificial, while a speed may have had an artificial character, but the word originally indicates a wider, more natural watercourse. In addition, it is said that a channel usually has a lock on both ends, to be able to control the water level.