Applying for an environment and planning permit for a water activity
Do you plan to carry out activities or work near water or an embankment in the Netherlands? Or do you want to discharge wastewater? You may need an environment and planning permit (Omgevingsvergunning) for a water activity (previously a water permit). In some cases you only need to submit a notification or apply for an exemption.
Find out more or arrange now
at your municipality, province, or water authority
Examples of activities near water (in Dutch) are:
- discharging waste water directly into surface water
- extracting groundwater
- constructing water storage facilities
- filling in/draining a ditch
- conducting activities near civil engineering structures such as a viaduct, tunnel, bridge, inland waterway, or embankment
- an event on the water
Do you want to carry out work that will cause disturbance to the functioning of a construction or object of great social importance? For example, work near a waterway or the North Sea? This is called a beperkingengebiedactiviteit (an activity in a regulated area, in Dutch). The central government is nearly always the competent authority in such areas. You must comply with the rules of the Environmental Activities Decree (Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving, Bal, in Dutch).
Do the permit check (vergunningcheck) and apply for an environment and planning permit for a water activity (previously water permit)
Do you want to know if you need an environment and planning permit for a water activity? Or if you need to submit a notification? Go to the online service counter Omgevingsloket and do the permit check (vergunningcheck, in Dutch). If you enter all the information, the Omgevingsloket will tell you automatically if you need to apply to or notify the regional water authority, the provincial authority, or the central government (Rijk). In some cases, you need to apply for a permit or notify more than one authority. You can submit your application or notification directly to the Omgevingsloket.
Information about the rules
For more information about the rules, you can also contact:
Regional water authority
You have to comply with the rules of the Waterschapsverordening (Water Authority By-law, in Dutch) if you want to carry out activities in surface water or with groundwater in or near a ditch, stream, or pond, embankment (dike) or road that is managed by the water authority. Each regional water authority has its own water authority by-law. You can access these by-laws online through the Omgevingsloket.
Provincial authority
If you want to carry out activities in surface water or groundwater near a highway, viaduct (overpass), tunnel, bridge, waterway, or embankment (dike) that is managed by the province, you must follow the rules set out in the environmental regulation (in Dutch) of the province where you will carry out the activities.
Rijkswaterstaat
You must comply with the rules of the central government if you plan to carry out an activity in or near a large river or lake, for example the Rhine (Rijn), the Meuse (Maas), or the IJsselmeer (national waters). You can find these rules in the Environmental Activities Decree (Bal, in Dutch). Or contact Rijkswaterstaat for more information (in Dutch).
Do you need other permits?
Check to find out if you need other permits. For instance an environment and planning permit for building or for an activity that impacts the environment. Do the permit check (in Dutch) in the online Omgevingsloket to check which permit you need.
Applying for compensation
Do you experience damage as a result of water management activities? You can claim compensation from the organisation that carries out the work.
This article is related to:
Related articles
- Dispensation from ban discharging cooling-water and domestic waste water into soil
- Applying for an environment and planning permit
- Claiming compensation for damage caused by water management
- Permit and authorisation for provincial waterway structures
- Working with the environment plan
- Regional water authority by-law
Questions relating to this article?
Please contact the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO