The discharge sluice next to the Noorderpoort Energy & Maritime building on Duurswoldlaan in Farmsum will not become a recreational lock for the time being.
The plans for moving the drainage location towards Termunterzijl have been shelved. The recreational lock had made it possible to sail by boat from the northern branch of the Eemskanaal to the Damsterhaven.
The exploration ‘Eemszijlen Coastal Development’ was carried out between 2020 and 2022. A broad look was taken at how joint solutions can be found for climate, nature, water management and availability of fresh water between Delfzijl and Termunterzijl.
The province of Groningen, the Hunze en Aa’s water board, the municipality of Eemsdelta, Rijkswaterstaat Noord-Nederland, Het Groninger Landschap and Groningen Seaports have now decided to initially only continue with the development of the Groote Polder near Borgsweer.
Sluice
One of the components of the exploration was moving the drainage location. Draining now takes place via the discharge sluice in Delfzijl. The thought was that it was necessary to move the discharge sluice. To find out for sure, further research is being conducted. The plans for this have not yet been developed. First, the results of further research are awaited. The outcome may still be that the drain has to be rerouted. As a result, it has also been decided that the current discharge sluice will not be converted into a recreational lock. The results of follow-up studies for this are also awaited.