The historic Woudagemaal at Lemmer in Friesland is being activated today to drain the excess water. That is special; according to Hilda Boesjes, director of the visitor center at the plant, that happens about once every two years. It is expected that this will draw a crowd of people.
There has been a lot of rainfall in the province last week, some 90 millimeters. Therefore, it was decided yesterday that the plant should be activated. The "Wetterskip Fryslân" (Local governement water managment agency) wants to reduce the water level temporarily to catch up with all the precipitation expected in the coming period.
Rare
Twice a year the plant is started during an exercise. "We must always be ready," says Boesjes. "But that our help is called is rare. These are very special moments."
The scale is not just turned on. "unlike With many new mills, it's a matter of pushing the button. We need eight hours to have enough steam to handle. We started boot this morning."
The manager expects the machines to run between 14:00 and 15:30 and then the ground can really work. "From then on we will run continuously." The Woudagemaal will continue to operate at least until Tuesday, reports Omrop Fryslân (local media).
World Heritage List
Next to the Woudagemaal there is a visitor center. It is open to the public daily. Guided tours are provided and on a movie, visitors can see how the gem looks like it's running. Today everybody can really come and admire. "We expect a lot of people," says Boesjes.
The Woudagemaal is the largest still working steam center in Europe. It was built between 1916 and 1920. Since 1989, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has been listed. During daylight hours people are often in line to enter.
> The historic Woudagemaal at Lemmer in Friesland is being activated today to drain the excess water. That is special; according to Hilda Boesjes, director of the visitor center at the plant, that happens about once every two years. It is expected that this will draw a crowd of people.
>
> There has been a lot of rainfall in the province last week, some 90 millimeters. Therefore, it was decided yesterday that the plant should be activated. The "Wetterskip Fryslân" (Local governement water managment agency) wants to reduce the water level temporarily to catch up with all the precipitation expected in the coming period.
> Rare
>
> Twice a year the plant is started during an exercise. "We must always be ready," says Boesjes. "But that our help is called is rare. These are very special moments."
>
> The scale is not just turned on. "unlike With many new mills, it's a matter of pushing the button. We need eight hours to have enough steam to handle. We started boot this morning."
>
> The manager expects the machines to run between 14:00 and 15:30 and then the ground can really work. "From then on we will run continuously." The Woudagemaal will continue to operate at least until Tuesday, reports Omrop Fryslân (local media).
> World Heritage List
>
> Next to the Woudagemaal there is a visitor center. It is open to the public daily. Guided tours are provided and on a movie, visitors can see how the gem looks like it's running. Today everybody can really come and admire. "We expect a lot of people," says Boesjes.
>
> The Woudagemaal is the largest still working steam center in Europe. It was built between 1916 and 1920. Since 1989, the UNESCO World Heritage Site has been listed. During daylight hours people are often in line to enter.
We have regional watermanagment agencies looking out for the water heights in their regions. There are many electrical pumps all around the low areas and polders (regained land below sealevel). This UNESCO listed steam operated plant is basically kept on standby for when "shit hits the van" or to compensate quickly. The volume this pump can handle is that of many electrical pumps once it operates at capacity.
Basically NL is one big irrigation system with many electrical pumps. A lot of closed off bodies of water, canals, streams, lakes, damned off sea inlets,sloten (irrigation canals) etc etc. These are connected trough locks and pumps, so ships can travel and water height can be managed per region. Think "Communicating barrels". You will never be far from water anywhere in NL, there will atleast be a canal or sloot "irrigation ditch" within 5km anywhere in the country.
Besides from 3 mayor European rivers ending in NL we also have a similar climate as London/UK, so a lot of rain.
With our polders being below sealevel there is a constant need to pump water out (rainwater). At the same time melting water from the northern Alps, rainwater from North east France and south west Germany has to be carried to sea by our rivers.
Example:
I used to live in a River polder:
So basically you collect all the water from your land into an irrigation system, this system is all connected in the polder (reclaimed below sealevel area) the pumps pump it into the minor water system (small rivers, canals, lakes). From here it's pumped into either; one of the main rivers and flows to sea within our diked off river area with floodplanes, or into one of the dammed off sea-inlets from where it's pumped into another or into the sea eventually.
We have regional watermanagment agencies looking out for the water heights in their regions. There are many electrical pumps all around the low areas and polders (regained land below sealevel). This UNESCO listed steam operated plant is basically kept on standby for when "shit hits the van" or to compensate quickly. The volume this pump can handle is that of many electrical pumps once it operates at capacity.
Basically NL is one big irrigation system with many electrical pumps. A lot of closed off bodies of water, canals, streams, lakes, damned off sea inlets,sloten (irrigation canals) etc etc. These are connected trough locks and pumps, so ships can travel and water height can be managed per region. Think "Communicating barrels". You will never be far from water anywhere in NL, there will atleast be a canal or sloot "irrigation ditch" within 5km anywhere in the country.
Besides from 3 mayor European rivers ending in NL we also have a similar climate as London/UK, so a lot of rain.
With our polders being below sealevel there is a constant need to pump water out (rainwater). At the same time melting water from the northern Alps, rainwater from North east France and south west Germany has to be carried to sea by our rivers.
Example:
I used to live in a River polder:
So basically you collect all the water from your land into an irrigation system, this system is all connected in the polder (reclaimed below sealevel area) the pumps pump it into the minor water system (small rivers, canals, lakes). From here it's pumped into either; one of the main rivers and flows to sea within our diked off river area with floodplanes, or into one of the dammed off sea-inlets from where it's pumped into another or into the sea eventually.
So the NL couldn't really exist as it is without electricity to pump out the excess water? You should divert that water to California. We process sewage and salt water to just make drinking waster.
Do you flood if you have a power outage?
So the NL couldn't really exist as it is without electricity to pump out the excess water? You should divert that water to California. We process sewage and salt water to just make drinking waster.
Do you flood if you have a power outage?
10 comments
Is this your only swamp draining plant? I would expect every major city should have one of these in case of normal times.
We have regional watermanagment agencies looking out for the water heights in their regions. There are many electrical pumps all around the low areas and polders (regained land below sealevel). This UNESCO listed steam operated plant is basically kept on standby for when "shit hits the van" or to compensate quickly. The volume this pump can handle is that of many electrical pumps once it operates at capacity.
Basically NL is one big irrigation system with many electrical pumps. A lot of closed off bodies of water, canals, streams, lakes, damned off sea inlets,sloten (irrigation canals) etc etc. These are connected trough locks and pumps, so ships can travel and water height can be managed per region. Think "Communicating barrels". You will never be far from water anywhere in NL, there will atleast be a canal or sloot "irrigation ditch" within 5km anywhere in the country.
Besides from 3 mayor European rivers ending in NL we also have a similar climate as London/UK, so a lot of rain.
With our polders being below sealevel there is a constant need to pump water out (rainwater). At the same time melting water from the northern Alps, rainwater from North east France and south west Germany has to be carried to sea by our rivers.
Example:
I used to live in a River polder:
So basically you collect all the water from your land into an irrigation system, this system is all connected in the polder (reclaimed below sealevel area) the pumps pump it into the minor water system (small rivers, canals, lakes). From here it's pumped into either; one of the main rivers and flows to sea within our diked off river area with floodplanes, or into one of the dammed off sea-inlets from where it's pumped into another or into the sea eventually.
So the NL couldn't really exist as it is without electricity to pump out the excess water? You should divert that water to California. We process sewage and salt water to just make drinking waster.
Do you flood if you have a power outage?