Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management


The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, founded in 1798 as the Bureau voor den Waterstaat, is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, the former Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. Its role is the practical execution of the public works and water management, including the construction and maintenance of waterways and roads, and flood protection and prevention. The agency was also involved in the construction of big railway projects such as the Betuweroute and the HSL-Zuid.
The mission of the organisation is: "Rijkswaterstaat is de rijksdienst die werkt aan droge voeten, schoon en voldoende water én aan de vlotte en veilige doorstroming van het verkeer". The agency is divided in 10 regional, 6 specialist services and 2 special services.
As of 15 May 2017, the director-general of the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management is Drs. M.C.A. Blom. Since 1 January 2006, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has been an :nl:Agentschap|agentschap.

Name

The Dutch word waterstaat denotes the condition of an area in relation to the level and the condition of surface and groundwater, including all relevant natural and artificial features. The component 'rijks' translates as 'national'.

Organisation structure

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management is divided in regional and specialist services, formerly known as directies. Every service is managed by a hoofdingenieur-directeur, who together form the board of the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management.

Regional services

The regions are divided in local water- en wegendistricten, formerly known as dienstkringen. In the past, every province had its own regional organisation, but the directies Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe were merged, forming the service Noord-Nederland, the directies Overijssel and Gelderland were merged to form the service Oost-Nederland, the directies IJsselmeergebied and Utrecht were merged to form the service Midden-Nederland and the directies Noord-Brabant and Limburg were merged to form the service Zuid-Nederland.
The following regional services exist: