Rijkswaterstaat

Last updated
Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat
Logo rijksoverheid.svg
Logo of Rijkswaterstaat
Rijkswaterstaat Westraven.jpg
Rijkswaterstaat headquarters in Utrecht.
National agency overview
Formed1798
Jurisdiction Government of the Netherlands
Headquarters Utrecht, the Netherlands
MottoWater, wegen, werken. Rijkswaterstaat (water, roads, works. Rijkswaterstaat)
Employees5001-10000
Annual budget5 000 000 000 eu
National agency executives
  • Patricia Zorko, Interim Director-General
  • TBA, Deputy Director-General
  • José van Aerle, Chief Financial Officer
  • Erica Slump, Chief Engineer-Director Traffic and Water Management
  • Bob Demoet, Chief Engineer-Director Programs, Projects and Maintenance
  • Louis Schouwstra, Chief Engineer-Director Central Netherlands
  • Ron Kolkman, Chief Information Officer
Parent departmentMinistry of infrastructure and water management
Website https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl

Rijkswaterstaat, [1] founded in 1798 as the Bureau voor den Waterstaat and formerly translated to Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management, is a Directorate-General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands. Its role is the practical execution of the public works and water management, including the construction and maintenance of waterways and roads, and flood protection and prevention. The agency was also involved in the construction of big railway projects such as the Betuweroute and the HSL-Zuid.

Contents

The mission statement of the organisation reads: "Rijkswaterstaat is de rijksdienst die werkt aan droge voeten, schoon en voldoende water én aan de vlotte en veilige doorstroming van het verkeer" (Rijkswaterstaat is the national agency that provides dry feet, clean and sufficient water and a quick and safe flow of traffic). The agency is divided in 10 regional, 6 specialist services and 2 special services.

As of 1 June 2023, the Interim director-general (DG) of Rijkswaterstaat is Patricia Zorko. [2] Since 1 January 2006, Rijkswaterstaat has been an (executive) agentschap (agency).

Name

The Dutch word waterstaat denotes the condition of an area in relation to the level and the condition of surface and groundwater, including all relevant natural and artificial features. [3] The component 'rijks' translates as 'national'.

Organization structure

Rijkswaterstaat is divided into regional and specialist services, formerly known as directies. Each service is managed by a hoofdingenieur-directeur (HID), who together form the board of Rijkswaterstaat.

Regional services

Vehicle of a road inspector Rijkswaterstaat emergency car, Winschoten (2017).jpg
Vehicle of a road inspector

The regions are divided in local water- en wegendistricten (water and road districts), formerly known as dienstkringen. In the past, every province had its own regional organisation, but the directies Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe were merged, forming the service Noord-Nederland, the directies Overijssel and Gelderland were merged to form the service Oost-Nederland, the directies IJsselmeergebied and Utrecht were merged to form the service Midden-Nederland and the directies Noord-Brabant and Limburg were merged to form the service Zuid-Nederland. The following regional services exist:

Specialist Services

The vessel Maeslant, of Rijkswaterstaat Maeslant of Rijkswaterstaat.JPG
The vessel Maeslant, of Rijkswaterstaat

Project Directorates (Special Services)

Former (specialist) services

Notable employees

Elze van den Ban [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalys</span> European high-speed train service, 1996–2023

Thalys was a brand name used for high-speed train services between Paris Gare du Nord via Brussels-South to either Amsterdam Centraal or to German cities in the Rhein-Ruhr, including Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Dortmund. Since 29 September 2023, the services operate under the Eurostar name; sometimes referred to as Eurostar Red, based on the colour of the trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuid-Willemsvaart</span> Canal in the Netherlands

The Zuid-Willemsvaart is a canal in the south of the Netherlands and the east of Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purmerend</span> Municipality in North Holland, Netherlands

Purmerend is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. Purmerend's population grew relatively slowly until the 1960s, when it increased from around 10,000 to over 80,000 by 2020. This expansion has turned Purmerend into a commuter town; many inhabitants work, go to school or spend leisure time in Amsterdam. Purmerend is part of the Randstad, one of the largest conurbations in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoetermeer</span> City and municipality in South Holland, Netherlands

Zoetermeer is a city in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.05 km2 (14.31 sq mi) of which 2.60 km2 (1.00 sq mi) is water. A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950. By 2023 this had grown to 126.998, making it the fourth largest population centre in the province of South Holland, after Rotterdam, The Hague and Leiden. While now a city in its own right, Zoetermeer started out as a suburb of The Hague and is still a part of the Greater The Hague urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HSL-Oost</span>

HSL-Oost is the name of the now-cancelled high-speed railway line from Amsterdam to Germany via the Dutch cities of Utrecht and Arnhem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam Zuid station</span> Railway station in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Zuid is a railway station situated in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For a number of years, it was named Amsterdam Zuid WTC, in reference to the neighbouring World Trade Center Amsterdam. During 2006, in conjunction with the rapid development of the area surrounding the station, the station was enlarged and the reference to the WTC was formally dropped from the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utrecht Centraal railway station</span> Railway station in the Netherlands

Utrecht Centraal, officially Station Utrecht Centraal, is the transit hub that integrates three bicycle parkings, two bus stations, two tram stops and the central railway station for Utrecht, Netherlands. It is the biggest train station in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed</span> Dutch heritage organisation

Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed often abbreviated as Cultureel Erfgoed, is a Dutch heritage organisation working for the protection and conservation of National Heritage Sites. It is located in Amersfoort, province of Utrecht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veerse Meer</span> Artificial lagoon, brackish in Zeeland

The Veerse Meer is a lagoon in the southwest Netherlands in the province of Zeeland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Transport and Water Management (Netherlands)</span>

The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management was a Dutch ministry responsible for water management, public and private transport and infrastructure. It is now part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almere Muziekwijk railway station</span> Railway station in the Netherlands

Almere Muziekwijk is a railway station in Almere, The Netherlands. It is located approximately 20 km east of Amsterdam. It is on the Weesp–Lelystad railway. The station was opened in 1987 when the line Weesp - Lelystad Centrum was built. In 1987 Almere Centrum and Almere Buiten stations opened before the Almere Buiten - Lelystad section was completed in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in the Netherlands</span>

High-speed rail service in the Netherlands started on 13 December 2009 with the dedicated HSL-Zuid line that connects the Randstad via Brussels to the European high-speed rail network. In later years improved traditional rail sections were added to the high-speed network. Proposals for more dedicated high-speed lines were deemed too costly; plans for the HSL-Oost to Germany were mothballed and instead of the Zuiderzeelijn the less ambitious Hanzelijn was built to enable future high-speed service between the northern provinces and the Randstad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Ringers</span> Dutch hydraulic engineer and politician

Johannes Aleidis (Johan) Ringers was a Dutch hydraulic engineer and politician. He served as the director-general of Rijkswaterstaat and later as the director of Dutch East Indies Railways. During World War II, Ringers was appointed as the government commissioner for reconstruction, but was later interned by German forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schiphol Airport station</span> Railway station in the Netherlands

Schiphol Airport station is a major passenger railway station in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, beneath the terminal complex of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The station's six platforms are accessible via twelve escalators and three elevators located in the main concourse of the airport. The original station was opened in 1978, and the current station in 1995. It connects the airport to Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands, as well as to Belgium and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voorne Canal</span> First canal to connect Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, to the sea

The Voorne Canal is a former ship canal on Voorne-Putten in South Holland, the Netherlands. It was the first canal to connect Rotterdam to the sea. Construction of the canal started in 1826 and was completed in 1829. Until the completion of the Nieuwe Waterweg in 1872 it was the main connection from Rotterdam to the sea for ocean going ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelmina Canal</span>

The Wilhelmina Canal is a canal in North-Brabant, Netherlands. It connects Tilburg to the Meuse, and continues to the east to connect to the Zuid-Willemsvaart north of Helmond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wessem-Nederweert Canal</span> Canal in the Netherlands

Wessem-Nederweert Canal is a canal connecting the Zuid-Willemsvaart at Nederweert to the Meuse near Wessem. Here it meets the wide Juliana Canal that connects to Maastricht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elze van den Ban</span> Dutch urban planner

Elizabeth Frederika van den Ban, known as Elze, was a Dutch urban planner and chief engineer of the Rijkswaterstaat at Zuiderzee Works where she introduced curvatures rather than straight lines into the urban planning process of polders and dikes. Van den Ban was the first woman from the Netherlands to graduate as a civil engineer in Delft, where she worked as a civil engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zandkreekdam</span> Hydraulic engineering structures in the Netherlands

The Zandkreekdam is a compartmentalisation dam located approximately 3 kilometres north of the city of Goes in The Netherlands, which connects Zuid-Beveland with Noord-Beveland, and separates the Oosterschelde from the Veerse Meer.

References

  1. "Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management". Government of the Netherlands. 27 October 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  2. "Michèle Blom directeur-generaal Rijkswaterstaat bij IenM". Rijkswaterstaat. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  3. Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal.
  4. "De horizon zien – Strandlab Almere" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  5. "Gezinsblad van Elze Frederika van den Ban". www.humanitarisme.nl. Retrieved 2022-11-09.