Waterboard eases building restriction around dikes

HEERHUGOWAARD - The so-called Dutch ’sleeping dikes’, a secondary dike behind a main levee (a U.S. equivalent for dike), will no longer be off limits in the jurisdiction of water board Noorderkwartier for various activities, including construction on condition it does not impair safety. One such sleeping dike is the Bossche Zeewering, which extends from Kamperduin to near Petten. The sea dike was built at great expense between the year 1860 and 1884, having consisted before that time of little more than a protected sand dike. Noorderkwartier maintains over 1800 kilometres of dikes, of which 340 are primary sea defense lines. Many of the dikes were up to now ‘fenced’ in. In certain parts of this district, notably in Volendam, many houses shoulder the dikes.