The construction of the water buffer at Nieuw-Schoonebeek is about to start. Many measures have already been taken against the leakage of groundwater in the raised bog, but the construction of the South buffer at Nieuw-Schoonebeek is the most drastic.
Bargerveen is one of the few places in the Netherlands where raised bogs still grow, but this special nature is anything but self-evident. Retaining water is crucial, otherwise the unique area will dry out, resulting in settlement.
Nearly ten years ago, improvement measures were started, including the construction of quays and water buffers at Weiteveen and Zwartemeer, among others.
The construction of the buffer zone at Nieuw-Schoonebeek is the biggest challenge. This will soon extend half a kilometer between Kerkenweg and the German border. Good for 220 hectares of new nature, the size of approximately ten times the size of the Wildlands zoo.
The buffer is divided into four compartments that differ from each other, Carolien van de Bles explains. She is a project leader at the implementation organization Prolander. “The buffer zone differs from east to west. On the one hand it is more extensive, on the other side the intention is for a large tank of water to be created. Because there is very little counter pressure in the subsurface, the large tank of water really needs to be ensure that groundwater is properly retained here.”