Government & open data
Unie van Waterschappen
The Dutch Water Authorities association (Unie van Waterschappen) is the umbrella body of the 21 Dutch regional water authorities. It represents their joint interests and publishes news, position statements, publications and the agenda of its governing committees — covering flood safety, water quality and PFAS, drought, climate adaptation, the energy transition and crisis preparedness. We use the source to follow the sector line: what the association puts forward on behalf of the water authorities and how it frames a policy file.
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What this source does not give you
A position taken by the association is the view of a membership organisation, not law: it binds no individual water authority and does not replace a water authority's by-laws, ordinances, registers or water-level decisions — each authority adopts those itself. We also read the site's public news feed, which on 15 September 2026 held ten recent items, so earlier years of the archive are not covered.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a position of the association apply to my water authority?
- No. The Dutch Water Authorities association is a membership organisation, not a public body with regulatory powers. Its positions and publications are sector coordination and advocacy. What applies in your area is set out in the rules adopted and published by the board of your own water authority.
- How many water authorities does the association represent?
- Twenty-one. The association describes itself as the umbrella body of the 21 Dutch water authorities. Each authority has its own elected board, its own levies and its own by-laws; the umbrella body speaks for the sector, not in place of the individual boards.
- How far back does this source reach?
- Not far. The source is read through the public news feed of unievanwaterschappen.nl, which carries a short run of recent articles and positions — ten items when measured on 15 September 2026. For older publications, annual reports and meeting documents, go to the website itself.
- Which topics does this source cover?
- The files of the water sector: flood safety and dykes, water quality and the Water Framework Directive, PFAS, drought and freshwater supply, wastewater treatment, biodiversity, climate adaptation, the energy transition and the circular economy, alongside governance topics such as finance, digitalisation and crisis preparedness.
- Where do I find the rules a water authority actually imposes?
- In the adopted and published rules of the water authority in question, and in the national legislation those rules rest on. The association source is there to explain context and the sector line, not to establish a permit requirement, a discharge limit or a maintenance obligation.