TheThe historyhistory ofof thethe AmsterdamAmsterdam watercyclewatercycle

Eilard Jacobs and Paulien Hartog (meter above AOD)

Ground level : • Old city above AOD • Deep polders < -5m AOD Amsterdam SE: big differences in surface level Watersystem: complex of rivers and polder ditches

Amstel

-0.60 m AOD -0.40 m -1.84 m AOD AOD -5.30 m AOD -5.54 m AOD -5.97 m AOD

Polders m NAP 2000 B.C. Primitive-IJ St Lucia’s flood 1287

about 1200 poles-dike, about 1500

from 1250: dike building The dam in the river Amstel Canals in the swampsConstruction Reguliersdwars-canal

Expansion canals with Oude zijds and Nieuwe zijds ca 1400 1538 Drainage of the polder area (from 1400) Map ~ 1593 Golden age (17th century)

3rd expansion (1610–1663)

Map 1640 Sluicing the canals to prevent public health problems caused by a bad water quality

Flushing of the canals plan 1665

Fransche Pad (nowadays: Willemsstraat) Protection against flooding caused by high sea levels

1684 Town reference level (and ordnance datum) fixed Protection of the town agains flooding from sea by Hudde (2nd half 17th century) ‘Plantage’ area after a not used for town expa

Amstel locks 1673 To protect the inner city and 4th Expansion Keep brackish water out of (1655-1663) The river Amstel Map 1680 Transport of potable water from the river Vecht Peat digging for fuel

1749 1750: Peat digging and land reclamation Steam pumping station Zeeburg 1872 Orange locks

Steam pumping station Zeeburg 1879

The end of the open sea connection 100 years trend of water levels in the canals Failed drilling for potable water at the new market, 1837 – 1842

Alternative solutions for water supply Transport of water from lakes 1682 ~ 1850 • Map of the number of cholera victims 1866 (1151) • The direct reason for realising water supply, sewerage and garbage collection SourcesBron drinkwaterproductie potable water from Leiduin the dunes for Amsterdam Geinfiltreerd rivierwater 80 (sinds 1957) 70 Diep duinwater 60 (sinds 1903) 50 Ondiep duinwater 40 (sinds 1853) mln m3/jaar 30mln 20 At first potable water from natural 10 groundwater from the dunes 0 (blue, purple). Later supplemented with water 1850 1862 1874 1886 1898 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 from the river Rhine (pink). From “eau de cologne” cart to sewerage Liernur system

Boldootkar

Until 1934

Construction of the main sewer in the city centre 1935 Construction of the “dirty drain” to the Zuiderzee First treatment of waste water

Wwtp Watergraafsmeer 1923

Wwtp West in 1926 Town expansion plan Kalff Maintaining of existing buildings and ditches The edges of town: Pijp quarter

Girdle of town expansion according to Plan Kalff (1877): partial sand raising Groundwater draining sewer areas Town expension plan “South” and water

Establishing ground lease system: 1896

Plan South: integral embankment 1900: More and bigger land reclamation possible through steam engines General expans ion plan (AUP) 1934

Closure of the Zuiderzee 1932: less risks so less raising with sand neccesary Big Flood 1953

Collapse of the dike at Nieuwerkerk aan de IJssel

Flood defence Hollandse IJssel System of flood defence ring circuits

Chance of failure of dikes 1965: Flevopolders (land reclamation in the IJssel lake) IJmuiden Sluice and Pumping station Regional water system

Zeeburg Two way pumping station The secret of the Zeeburg pumping station Contemporary Amsterdam water supply

River-Dune River-Lake Water supply Water supply Storm drainage in Amsterdam

• 75 % separate sewer system (green) • 5-10 % surface water in the town quarters • But: high groundwater tables (~ 0,6 m below surface level) 2006: Moving of the WWTP from the east to the western harbour area New WWTP West

Heat Electricity Waste to energy plant WWTP

Sludge Biogas Deep reclamation

Subsurface of the metropole

Dunes (sand) Raised harbour area

Peat Peat New deep reclamation

Raised Inner city

Deep reclamation

Peat

Sand Lateral Moraine Living with water 2008: Contemporary situation Thanks to: Kees Hogenes Eilard Jacobs Maarten Ouboter Louis van Parrera Hanneke Cusell Jan Blom Eric van der Kooij Mariëtte van Baaren

And the authors of: Eén cent per emmer, J.A. Groen Juffer hep je een emmertje poep, Evert Werkman Costelijck Stadswater, Kees Hogenes Zuiver+mooi, het nieuwe afvalwatersysteem van Amsterdam, Waternet Omzien naar water, Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht Amsterdam waterbestendig, Waternet en dRO Amsterdam: living with water for centuries!