Climate change also poses major challenges for Drenthe in the coming years. Meppel is the lowest point in Drenthe and that may have consequences for the new housing estate Nieuwveense Landen. Partly to prevent flooding, the Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Board has renovated the Leenders pumping station.
The capacity has tripled. The pumping station can pump out 165,000 liters of water per minute. “The capacity has not only increased because of the new housing estate, but also because we are increasingly dealing with heavy rainfall, so that we can drain the water quickly enough,” says Erik Wiggers, project manager of pumping stations and weirs at the water board.
In the evening the building is lit depending on how many pumps are running. “When one pump is running it is green, when two pumps are running yellow, when three pumps are running orange and when the pumping station is running at full capacity, the color is red,” says Wiggers.