What Waterschap Vechtstromen does

Waterschap Vechtstromen is a statutory Dutch water board (waterschap) headquartered in Almelo, Overijssel, responsible for water management across 23 municipalities in the provinces of Overijssel, Drenthe and Gelderland. The organization was formed in 2014 through the merger of predecessor water boards Velt and Vecht, and serves approximately 800,000 residents and businesses in Twente, the Vechtdal and Southeast Drenthe. Its mission centers on ensuring sufficient clean water, protecting against flooding and drought, treating wastewater, and maintaining water quality in compliance with the European Water Framework Directive (Kaderrichtlijn Water).

The organization's core "product" is integrated water-system management, delivered through a portfolio of public services: Water System Management (maintenance of watercourses, dikes, weirs and pumping stations), Wastewater Treatment (purification of wastewater from 800,000 inhabitants and businesses), Water Quality Monitoring (ecological and chemical monitoring across 17 Natura 2000 areas — more than any other Dutch water board), Climate Adaptation Services (drought and flood management, including water import from the IJssel/Twentekanaal for 40% of the service area), and a Digital Services Portal (Loket) and public GIS (Digitale Kaarten) for permits, reports and transparency. The underlying technology base consists of approximately 25,000 kilometers of waterways, multiple zuiveringsinstallaties (purification plants), gemalen (pumping stations), stuwen (weirs), sluizen (sluices), and dike infrastructure, supplemented by standard government IT systems (Mercell for procurement, Visma Easycruit for recruitment, DigiD for citizen authentication, Archiefweb.eu for web archiving).

Vechtstromen is funded through compulsory waterschapsbelastingen (water authority taxes) levied on properties and activities within its jurisdiction, collected on its behalf by the Gemeenschappelijk Belastingkantoor Lococensus Tricijn (GBLT). As a public-sector entity it has no commercial revenue streams, no shareholders, and no parent or subsidiary structure; governance rests with a dagelijks bestuur (executive board) led by Watergraaf Stefan Kuks and loco-watergraaf Wilbert Siebring, and an elected algemeen bestuur. Distribution occurs through institutional channels: the Almelo headquarters, the online Loket, a 24/7 emergency hotline, public meetings, and a digital newsletter service. Sustainability commitments (energy-neutral by 2030, CO2-neutral by 2050) and a partnership with the Regionale Energietransitie (RES) to develop aquathermie signal gradual expansion of the mandate beyond traditional water management.

Name

Waterschap Vechtstromen

Legal name

Waterschap Vechtstromen

Website

https://vechtstromen.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Waterschap Vechtstromen is a Dutch statutory water board serving approximately 800,000 residents across 23 municipalities in Overijssel, Drenthe and Gelderland. It manages 25,000 km of waterways, treats wastewater, and delivers flood protection and drought management, funded via compulsory water authority taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Water Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (221), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Water management services
• Wastewater treatment
• Flood protection infrastructure
• Water quality monitoring
• Waterway maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Almelo

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Waterschapsbelastingen (Water authority taxes): As a public water management authority (waterschap), Vechtstromen is funded through compulsory water authority taxes levied on properties and activities within its jurisdiction. These taxes are collected by Gemeenschappelijk Belastingkantoor Lococensus Tricijn (GBLT) on behalf of the water board.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Waterschap Vechtstromen is a Dutch regional water authority (waterschap) responsible for water management across 23 municipalities in Overijssel, Drenthe, and Gelderland provinces. It manages approximately 25,000 kilometers of waterways, purifies wastewater from about 800,000 inhabitants and businesses, and operates water infrastructure including dikes, sluices, pumping stations (gemalen), weirs (stuwen), and purification installations. Its mission is to ensure clean, safe, and sufficient water through flood protection, drought management, water quality enforcement, and climate adaptation services.

Product overview

Waterschap Vechtstromen is a Dutch water management board providing public services rather than commercial products. The organization operates a unified service portfolio centered on water system management, which includes water quality monitoring, climate adaptation, and infrastructure maintenance. Core services are delivered through a digital services portal (Loket) providing citizen access to permits, reports, and administrative functions. The wastewater treatment service purifies water from 800,000 residents and businesses. Water supply infrastructure manages drought mitigation through imported water from the IJssel. These services are interconnected within a comprehensive water management system serving 23 municipalities across Overijssel, Drenthe, and Gelderland provinces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water System Management (Watersysteembeheer)

Quantifiable outcome

• Wastewater treatment for approximately 800,000 inhabitants and businesses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• RijkswaterstaatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational water authority responsible for main water infrastructure (IJssel, major canals). Joint management of water supply and drought response. Currently working together on water supply during drought conditions with extra pumping installations at Sluis Eefde.
• Provinces Overijssel, Drenthe, GelderlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial governments that oversee water management policy and collaborate on spatial adaptation (DPRA), water quality standards, and regional water management planning.
• Waterschappen Rijn en IJssel and Drents Overijsselse DeltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring water boards with joint agreements on water supply from IJssel and Twentekanaal. Collaborate on water allocation during scarcity periods under a water agreement (waterakkoord).
• Gemeenten (23 municipalities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal governments within the service area. Key partner for separation of rainwater and wastewater systems, urban water management, and spatial planning. Collaborate on preventing waterlogging in urban areas.
• Drinkwaterbedrijven (Drinking water companies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrinking water utilities dependent on groundwater in the region. Ongoing discussions about sustainable drinking water extraction for the long term, particularly important in the Twente region where suitable groundwater is scarce.
• Industrie en landbouw (Industry and agriculture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey sectors for water quality management. Programs like Deltaplan Agrarisch Waterbeheer and Blauwe Diensten support agricultural water management. Industrial partners subject to emission controls and water discharge permits.
• Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP)majorOthersDutch Data Protection Authority supervises compliance with AVG (GDPR). Water board maintains ongoing relationship for data protection matters and has a designated Functionaris Gegevensbescherming (Data Protection Officer).
• Regionale Energietransitie (RES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional energy transition partnership exploring aquathermie (heat from water systems) potential for heating buildings without natural gas. Water board contributes potential availability of large amounts of heat from water systems.
• Drents ArchiefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional archive network providing digital inventories of predecessor water boards including Velt en Vecht. Accessible via Drents Archiefnet platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht: Waterschap serving Amsterdam and surrounding regions. Performs identical water system management, wastewater treatment, and flood protection functions for the Amsterdam metropolitan area under the same Dutch waterschap governance framework.
• Waterschap Rijn en IJssel: Large neighboring waterschap covering the Achterhoek, Twente and Veluwe regions. Operates as a statutory waterschap performing the same water management, wastewater treatment, and water quality enforcement functions, and collaborates with Vechtstromen on regional drought response.
• Waterschap Hollandse Delta: Large South Holland waterschap managing water in the Rhine-Meuse delta region. Operates the same statutory waterschap mandate as Vechtstromen but in a denser, more industrial geography with comparable dike and pumping infrastructure responsibilities.
• Waterschap Hunze en Aa's: Drenthe/Groningen-based waterschap with similar geographic and functional scope to Vechtstromen. Manages comparable waterway networks, treatment infrastructure, and serves a comparable rural/urban population mix across northern Netherlands.
• Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland: Historic hoogheemraadschap serving the Amsterdam/Leiden region with the same statutory waterschap mandate as Vechtstromen. Performs water system management, dike maintenance, and wastewater treatment at a comparable institutional scale.
• Waterschap Rivierenland: Largest Dutch waterschap by geographic area, covering Gelderland, Utrecht, and South Holland river regions. Performs identical water system management, dike maintenance, and wastewater treatment functions as Vechtstromen under the same Dutch water board legal framework.
• Waterschap Zuiderzeeland: Dutch waterschap managing water systems across Flevoland and parts of Friesland/Overijssel. Conducts the same core waterschap functions (water system management, wastewater treatment, water quality enforcement) and is of comparable scale to Vechtstromen.
• Wetterskip Fryslân: Friesland-based water authority (wetterskip, the Frisian equivalent of a waterschap) performing identical water management, wastewater treatment, and water quality enforcement functions across the northern Netherlands under equivalent Dutch water governance.
• Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden: Utrecht-region hoogheemraadschap (higher-tier water authority) performing the same water management, water quality enforcement, and wastewater treatment functions as Vechtstromen, with comparable scale and statutory powers.
• Waterschap Drents Overijsselse Delta: Neighboring Dutch waterschap responsible for water management across Drenthe and Overijssel. Has a formal water agreement (waterakkoord) with Vechtstromen for joint water supply from IJssel/Twentekanaal during scarcity, making it the most operationally comparable peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Vechtstromen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9pWYPwmczl1VvKulU3oQaA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Vechtstromen
• Instagraminstagram.com/vechtstromen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterschap-vechtstromen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waterschap Vechtstromen