Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK)

Name

Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK)

Legal name

Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier

Website

https://hhnk.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG), Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Water management services
• Flood protection infrastructure
• Sewage treatment operations
• Water board taxation
• Climate adaptation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Heerhugowaard

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waterschapsbelastingen (Water Board Taxes): HHNK is a government water management authority (waterschap) funded primarily through compulsory water board taxes levied on property owners and residents within its jurisdiction. Revenue is used to fund water management, flood protection, and sewage treatment operations across the Hollands Noorderkwartier region.
2. Public Procurement — Works, Supplies, and Services: HHNK spends over €200 million annually on works, supplies, and services through professional public procurement and tendering, as a major public commissioning organization in the Dutch water sector.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HHNK is a Dutch statutory water board (waterschap) providing regional water management, flood protection, sewage treatment, and water quality monitoring across the Hollands Noorderkwartier region of North Holland. It operates water infrastructure (dikes, pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants) and administers water board taxes (waterschapsbelastingen), permits, and notifications. It also runs innovation and climate adaptation funding programs (Waterinnovatiefonds and Subsidie Klimaat Actief Noorderkwartier) supporting municipalities and innovative companies.

Product overview

HHNK is a Dutch water management board (waterschap) providing public services for water safety, water quality, and water management in North Holland's Noorderkwartier region. The organization operates as a layered services model with core public services and innovation programs. Core offerings include the Waterinnovatiefonds (€2M revolving fund for water innovations), Geo-informatie Portaal (geo-information portal), Klimaatatlas (climate impact visualization), MijnHHNK (citizen portal for taxes and payments), and Subsidie Klimaat Actief Noorderkwartier (KAN) subsidy scheme for municipal climate projects. The Waterinnovatiefonds has funded 14 innovative companies including TheClimateWall, BlueBloqs, INDI smart diapers, Fixeau View, The Great Bubble Barrier, and others developing water management, circular economy, and sustainability solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional Water Management and Flood Protection

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,000 solar panels installed, generating 35–38% of total electricity needs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TU DelftcoreTechnology or IntegrationTU Delft developed the Delft Green Curing technology, a circular coating for concrete that protects against drying using natural ingredients. NGCM holds the worldwide license for commercialization. HHNK supports this innovation because traditional curing chemicals often enter surface water and harm water quality.
• TU EindhovencoreTechnology or IntegrationTU Eindhoven co-developed the patented plasma air purification technology used by BlueReactor. The technology purifies air at wastewater treatment facilities with up to 98% lower CO2 footprint than existing systems.
• Unie van Waterschappen (Union of Water Boards)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborates with other Dutch water boards through the Union of Water Boards on shared policies including procurement, CO2 performance ladder, and sustainability standards. HHNK uses the uniform general water board procurement conditions (AWIV, AWVODI, AWBIT) developed by the Union.
• 12+ Municipalities in Hollands NoorderkwartiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborates with municipalities across its region through the Subsidie Klimaat Actief Noorderkwartier (KAN) scheme, funding climate adaptation projects. In the third open enrollment (2024), subsidies were granted to 12 projects across 12 municipalities including Alkmaar, Beverwijk, Den Helder, Edam-Volendam, Heemskerk, Heiloo, Hollands Kroon, Hoorn, Medemblik, Purmerend, Schagen, and Zaanstad.
• Provincie Noord-HollandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborated with the Province of North Holland to develop the Aquathermie viewer, which contains data on building years, energy labels, new construction plans, and housing density, alongside HHNK's water system and wastewater data.
• Waterschap AGVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborated with Waterschap AGV on the Aquathermie viewer project, sharing data and expertise on thermal energy from water.
• Hoogheemraadschap van RijnlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborated with Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland on the Aquathermie viewer project for the joint development of a regional aquathermie potential mapping tool.
• WaternetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHNK collaborates with Waternet on ecological research into the effects of thermal energy from surface water (TEO) on aquatic life, including measurement activities in the Broekpolder, municipality Heemskerk.
• Blue InnovationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Innovations received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for TheClimateWall — an innovative facade system that buffers rainwater and brings natural cooling to urban areas. After six years of development, the product is ready for broad application.
• FieldFactorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFieldFactors received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for the BlueBloqs rainwater management system that combines natural and technological solutions for climate-resilient cities, including aquifer recharge and biofiltration technology.
• Luper TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuper Technologies received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for the AirShield — an electric air purification system that eliminates odors at sewage pumping stations and treatment plants, including effective treatment of short-term emission peaks.
• The Great Bubble BarrierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Great Bubble Barrier received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for developing a new installation method for Bubble Barrier technology that captures plastic pollution across the full width and depth of rivers using bubbles, operating 24/7 without disrupting normal river activities.
• FinsulateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinsulate received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for commercial market introduction of Finsulate Antifouling — a protective foil for ship hulls as a sustainable alternative to toxic antifouling paint, eliminating 600,000 liters of toxic paint entering Dutch waters annually.
• Priovention BVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPriovention BV received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for the INDI (Intelligent Diaper) — a washable incontinence product with integrated sensors that reduces needed diapers from 1,850 to 10 per person per year, capturing phosphates for fertilizer production.
• Blik SensingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlik Sensing received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for offering groundwater monitoring data as a service, including sensor installation, wireless transmission, online platform, API access, and 24/7 monitoring of equipment failure.
• SusPhosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSusPhos received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for phosphate recovery from wastewater, with funding for developing the first full-scale plant. Other investors include NOM, Rabobank, and Shift-Invest.
• BlueReactor Systems BVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlueReactor Systems BV received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for the rollout of plasma air purification technology for wastewater treatment facilities. The patented technology has a market size of approximately €3 billion annually.
• KRNWTR+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKRNWTR+ received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for developing sustainable water taps and impact meters for public spaces, providing access to filtered, cooled, and sparkling water as an alternative to single-use plastic bottles.
• Noria Sustainable InnovatorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNoria Sustainable Innovators received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for production of systems that remove plastic from water, including plastic scoops achieving 95% removal of floating plastic. An estimated 3–14 million kg of plastic flows from Dutch rivers to the North Sea annually.
• VSGMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVSGM (Van Slib Grondstof Maken) received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for expanding circular processing of sewage sludge into raw materials for the construction industry as cement substitute using the globally patented MID MIX technique.
• NGCMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGCM (Nieuwe Generatie Constructie Materialen) received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for the Delft Green Curing product — a circular coating for concrete constructions using natural ingredients, developed at TU Delft, extending concrete durability by more than 50%.
• FixeauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFixeau received Waterinnovatiefonds financing for Fixeau View — a platform providing farmers, water, and nature managers with real-time groundwater and surface water data through a crowdsourcing approach, improving water and soil quality and agricultural yields.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Waterschap Scheldestromen: Zeeland-based Dutch waterschap performing water management, flood protection, and water quality functions. Same waterschap legal framework as HHNK; useful peer for benchmarking operational and innovation practices.
• Wetterskip Fryslân: Frisian water board covering Friesland province; one of the largest waterschappen in the Netherlands. Directly comparable mandate in water management, wastewater treatment, and dike maintenance, with similar tax-funded revenue model.
• Waterschap Zuiderzeeland: Dutch waterschap managing water in Flevoland; same statutory role (flood protection, water quality, wastewater treatment) as HHNK, with shared membership in the Unie van Waterschappen.
• Waterschap Rivierenland: Dutch water authority responsible for water management, flood protection (dikes), and water quality in the Rivierenland region. Operates under the same waterschap legal framework as HHNK with similar regulatory and operational scope.
• Waterschap Hunze en Aa's: Dutch water authority covering the Hunze en Aa's region in Groningen/Drenthe. Same waterschap legal structure, performing water management, water quality, and sewage treatment — directly comparable to HHNK's mandate.
• Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland: Dutch waterschap covering the Rijnland region; co-develops the Aquathermie viewer with HHNK. Closely comparable statutory structure, scope (water safety, water quality, sewage), and innovation programs.
• Waterschap Drents Overijsselse Delta: Dutch water board covering Drenthe and Overijssel; directly comparable statutory mandate and operating scope to HHNK in regional water management, dike maintenance, and wastewater treatment.
• Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht (Waternet/AGV): Sister Dutch waterschap covering Amsterdam and Amstel-Gooi en Vecht region; collaborates with HHNK on the Aquathermie viewer. Same statutory mandate (water management, sewage treatment, flood protection), similar tax-funded model, and shared procurement standards.

Broad incumbents

• Evides Waterbedrijf: Major Dutch drinking water utility providing potable water supply across Zeeland, Zuid-Holland, and Brabant. Comparable in water sector but focused on drinking water production/distribution rather than full water board mandate (no flood protection, no municipal taxes).

Others

• Unie van Waterschappen (Union of Water Boards): Industry association representing all 21 Dutch water boards including HHNK. Not a competitor but the umbrella body that develops shared procurement standards (AWIV, AWVODI, AWBIT) and policies used by HHNK — relevant as a coordinating peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waterschaphhnk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HHNK1
• Facebookfacebook.com/WaterschapHHNK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hoogheemraadschap-hollands-noorderkwartier
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterschaphhnk

Compliance2 records

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 Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier (HHNK)